


Maleficarum

by Ziba



Series: Haikyuu Age [2]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Asahi pov, Attempt at Humor, Blood, Canon violence when you speak about DA, Curses, Dalish Aobajosai, F/M, Guardian! Nishinoya, I'm Bad At Summaries, Kuroo and Kenma have a two seconds cameo that wasn't planned but they just popped up there so hey, M/M, Mage! Oikawa, Mage! Suga, More As I Go - Freeform, Original Character(s), Qunari! Asahi, Rated M for violence not for anything else, Reaver! Tanaka, Self-Harm, Violence, Warrior! Daichi, Warrior! Iwaizumi, a lot of angst that's why the first chapter is kind of cute/nice, angst is starting, as in Awekening specialization not guardian like guardian angel au, not that nishinoya isn't an angel but i don't want to lead you on, suga pov, these are those i'm sure of even if they have yet to happen, to be sure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 16:43:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6813934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ziba/pseuds/Ziba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Every mage can feel the dark lure of blood magic. Originally learned from demons, these dark rites tap into the power of blood, converting life into mana and giving the mage command over the minds of others. Such power comes with a price, though; a blood mage must sacrifice their own health, or the health of allies, to fuel these abilities" - Description of the Blood Mage specialization in DA:Origins.</p><p>The rise and fall of the Karasuno Mercenary Company.</p><p>(Sequel to "Runaway", set roughly a year, a year and something after it)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kirkwall

**Author's Note:**

> Second part of the Haikyuu Age Serie!  
> Hope you'll enjoy this angst envelope.  
> As always, Criticism and Comments are very appreciated!  
> If you want to write me about the fic, or just chat, you can find me at @zibasworld on Tumblr.  
> Thank you all for reading!
> 
> PS English is not my first language, so if you find any mistake, please let me know!

Kirkwall is a bit of a pisshole, Suga notices.

Karasuno, as they had started calling themselves to not be confused with the Antivan Crows, had been in the Free Marches for about three months. While in Starkhaven, they had received an invite from a rich merchant in the city, that had wished their help in a not-better-addressed matter. 

Entering Kirkwall had made Suga nervous, at first. After the Chantry had been destroyed a year prior, Kirkwall was the least city where a mage would wish to be. Templars where at every corner of the streets, and so where blood mages, and quarrels between them where as common as dogs in Ferelden.

Daichi had told him not to worry. All he had to do was to act normal, hide his staff, and not perform magic in public. Suga could do that. He had gotten a better handle of his powers in the year he had joined the mercenary company, mastering Creation Magic as well as bettering his Primordial knowledge. He couldn’t make fire rain on their enemies yet, but he could throw a quite powerful fireball at their asses, which was good enough.

They are approaching a tavern in the part of the city that’s called “Downtown”, and it’s not difficult to understand why. There are debris everywhere, the streets are dirty, and there are beggars and prostitutes approaching people as they walk by. Suga might have also see an elf selling what seemed to be illicit lyrium, but that might has well have been his mind tricking him.

Someone tugs his arm. “Are we there yet?”

Suga turns toward one of the additions of their group. “I think you should ask Daichi, Nishinoya. He was the one that insisted we were _told_  the way, instead of _shown_.”

“What are you trying to say, Suga?” comes the voice of their leader, who was walking a few feet ahead of them.

“I most certainly don’t mean to imply that we got lost, Daichi.” Suga replies in a voice that’s so innocent it has to be mischievous.

Ryuu Tanaka, another addition of their team, snorts and rolls his eyes. “Here they go again.”

“I’m not lost! The man told me to turn left, then right, then left again! Which I did.” protests Daichi, stopping and facing Suga, that’s smiling at him.

“There, there, it’s all right. Even Captains can get lost in new cities.” he pats Daichi’s shoulder in a condescending way, which makes Daichi all the more exasperated.

“I’m not lost though!”

“Then answer Nishinoya’s question and tell us if we are there yet.” Suga raises an eyebrow at him, folding his arms on his chest. Daichi opens his mouth to answer, then closes it, defeated.

“Oh, great.” Michimiya mutters, pinching her nose.

Nishinoya, Tanaka, Ennoshita - an elven minstrel that had joined a few weeks after the other two, when the company had saved him from a pack of wolves - stare at Daichi, almost hoping that he’s joking. Asahi, on the other hand, is too busy worrying about the looks people around them are giving him to realize what’s going on.

There’s only them on the road, right now. Commander Ukai, Lady Tanaka, Shimizu, Master Takeda and two other new members, Narita and Kinoshita are their name, had stayed in the tavern where they had taken rooms in, which happened to be on the other side of Downtown, as they had to talk about an other job with another client.

“Do you at least remember the name of the tavern, Daichi?” Suga asks, shaking his head a little, a fond smile on his face. Daichi has many perks, but orientation skills are not among them. Daichi rubs his neck, looking around lost. 

“I think it was something like The Chokedman.” he mumbles. Tanaka and Nishinoya let out a small laugh, but a glance from Daichi has them on attention, serious and scared for their life. The only one who can afford to tease Daichi and survive is Suga.

“Fine, I’m going to ask for direction then.” Suga turns on his heels, scanning their surrounding to find someone who would not point them to an hallway full of cutthroats.

“We don’t need indications. How difficult can it be, finding a single tavern?” Daichi says, following Suga.

“Since we’ve been for hours walking around this place, I think it can be pretty difficult.” Suga replies, approaching a woman that’s asking for charity. He searches the bag of money that’s hanging loose from his belt, and gives her a sovereign.

“Could you tell me where the Chokedman is?” he asks, accompanying the question with a smile. The woman takes the money warily, side eyeing Suga and all the people that’s following him.

“I think you mean _the Hanged Man_. It’s toward Hightown, not the Docks, and it looks like you are moving toward the Docks.”

Suga has to physically force himself from turning to Daichi with a “told you so” expression. He asks the woman if she’d show them way, and she asks for two sovereigns.

“What a greedy-” Tanaka’s sentence is cut short by Ennoshita putting an hand on his mouth, shutting him up.

Suga forces himself to smile again at the woman. “Very well, but first you’ll have to accompany us there.”

The woman raises an eyebrow at him. “Nope. Who tells me you won’t just leave me there? It’s not like I can kill you or anything if you don’t pay me.”

_Yeah, and you might as well be one of those people who guide foreigners that know no better into traps._

“I’ll give you a sovereign now, and the other when we’ll get there.”

The woman scoffs, but accepts the deal. Suga gives her the money, and the woman leads them toward the tavern.

Suga and Daichi follow right behind her, Daichi still gloomy, while Suga’s trying to cheer him up. Then come Tanaka and Ennoshita, with Tanaka bothering the elf about love songs he could use to woo Shimizu - both he and Nishinoya had developed a crush on her since they saw her for the first time - and lastly followed Nishinoya and Asahi, with Nishinoya effectively drawing all attention from the Vashot, with his excited chattering. 

When they reach the Hanged Man, and Suga has payed the second sovereign to the woman, the mage decides that if Kirkwall is a pisshole, then the Hanged Man is the center of it. It’s more of a instinctive decision than anything else.

They enter the Tavern, Suga covering his nose to protect it from the offensive smells that come from everywhere in the Tavern. The place is crowded, and even though it’s morning, it’s full of drunkards more or less passed out on chairs and tables.

A sudden thump comes from behind them. Suga turns, and sees that’s Asahi who has hit the top of the door with his horns, and his now whining in pain. Daichi snorts a laugh, while Ennoshita and Tanaka have to cover their mouths with an hand to suppress the chuckles. Nishinoya is scolding Asahi, while Suga’s asking if he’s all right.

“Ser Asahi, you should watch where you walk! You keep getting into forniture, and it’s not even funny anymore.” Nishinoya’s telling him.

“Are you all right, Asahi? Did you break anything?” asks Suga, fidgeting around him. Asahi nods.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” he smiles a bit, massaging a horn. “I’m used to it.”

“Are you listening to me, ser Asahi? You have to pay attention!” keeps chanting Nishinoya. Asahi blushes a little, embarrassed.

“I’m not a knight, Nishinoya, how many times to I have to-”

“Irrelevant! You are our knight as far as I’m concerned.” 

The thing about Nishinoya is that he’s so blunt and sincere in what he says that he barely notices other’s people embarrassment. Suga had noticed that the short human, since his arrival, had put Asahi on a sort of pedestal, and that his consideration, instead of motivating Asahi, has started to put him on edge, as if he had more pressure on his shoulders.

“Would you stop being noisy? Everybody’s staring.” Daichi says to them, gesturing for them to follow.

“Well, Sawamura, if you didn’t make an entrance.”

Daichi’s face stiffens. So do Suga’s shoulders. They turn, seeing a familiar face.

The man who has talked is probably the tallest elf that has ever, is currently, and will ever walk on Thedas. He has messy black hair, he’s wearing a distinguishable armor made of red iron, and is followed by a shorter human with red robes, blond hair with black roots covering most of his face.

He also happens to be an acquaintance of Suga’s and Daichi’s.

Suga sees Daichi force a smile. 

“Greetings to you too, Kuroo.”


	2. Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Fun fact: While uploading the chapter I remembered that Michimiya was there and therefore I added her at the last minute. Sorry Michimiya, I'm a bad mother.
> 
> EDIT: User @abnels made me notice that Mori might be confused with Yaku Morisuke: sorry for the inconvenience, Mori is an Original Character :)

Kuroo sneers at Daichi.

“It’s been a while since we last saw each other!” the man says, sliding an arm around Daichi’s shoulders, much to his dismay. “Wasn’t it, like, six months ago, during Denerim fair?”

Daichi keeps the polite and forced smile on, while tactically pushing off the elf’s arm. “How could I forget the Denerim fair?”

 _Yeah how could we forget it_  thinks Suga  _especially considering that you guys stole all the good jobs right under our noses._

Kuroo seems to remember that detail, for he starts to rub those lost jobs all over Daichi’s face. “It was surely a lucrative event, right? We of Nekoma made so much money in so little time, we had _no idea_  how to use it! So we decided to buy us some new equipment, and we made a matching set for all members! Don’t you think it red suits me, Sawamura?” he shows off the shining armor, smirk still on.

Suga sees Daichi’s hand twitch, probably restraining himself from strangling Kuroo. 

“An hairbrush would suit you more.” speaks the short human that’s accompanying him. From what Suga remembers, the guy’s a mage as well, and back in Denerim you couldn’t find Kuroo without him.

Kuroo jerks toward his companion, smirk transformed into an offended pout.

“Kenma, don’t you think you shouldn’t go around offending people?” the elf whines, putting his hands on his hips. Kenma doesn’t answer. He looks at Daichi’s group, realize that everybody is looking at him, and hides behind Kuroo. Yup, Suga also remembers the guy’s shyness.

Kuroo smiles a little at Kenma, then turns toward Daichi, waving at the new members of the group, greeting them. Tanaka’s face is twisted for a second in a intimidating expression, that falls at a single glance of Daichi’s.

“So, what brings you here, Sawamura?” asks Kuroo, folding his arms before his chest, tilting his head a little to the side. Kenma is peeking from behind him. “I thought that you guys mainly worked in Ferelden. The Free Marches are usually Nekoma’s territory.”

There’s no antagonism in Kuroo’s voice, Suga notices. Well, the guy is _not_  a bad guy, deep down. While in Denerim, aside stealing jobs, he and his people had been pretty nice to Karasuno, even inviting them over for drinks a night. Suga actually thinks that the rivalry between Kuroo and Daichi is, at the end of the day, a sort of odd friendship, truth be told. The two had to be rivals, for their company had been such since the day of their foundation, but Suga can also see that Daichi does enjoy the challenge that Nekoma - and Kuroo -  do represent.

“Well, we needed a change of scenario, Ferelden gets monotone after a while.” Daichi answers. “If you meant why we are in Kirkwall, though, we have to meet a merchant for a job.”

Kuroo’s eyes become two splits in his face, as he approach Daichi with suspect. “Do you happen to remember the merchant’s name?” he asks, caution in his voice. This immediately alarms Suga, who intervenes answering the question - not that Daichi would have remembered the name anyway.

“The merchant name was Mori. Why?” Kuroo turns to Suga, face darkened.

“Kenma and I came here too called by a Mori guy. We already talked to him, and refused his proposal.”

Both Suga and Daichi look at Kuroo as if he had grown a third eye. The elf refusing a job must be a first.

“Why? Didn’t he pay well?” asks Nishinoya. Kuroo shakes his head.

“He paid handsomely, but I don’t want to put my people in danger. The man is crazy, trust me. He wants people to escort him and his goods through the Tevinter border.” Kuroo explains, and he looks for a moment in the back of the Tavern, supposedly where Mori is.

Asahi emits a strangled noise. “What? Tevinter? We aren’t going to Tevinter, right Daichi? They don’t like people like me, in Tevinter.”

“I want to kick some Vint asses, though.” comments Tanaka, who doesn’t have a particular love for the Imperium.

“Heard what he said? The dude pays  _handsomely_. That’s a far too long word, but if it means a lot of money, then I’m totally in!” Nishinoya utters, smiling from ear to ear. Asahi looks at them both terrorized.

“What part of ‘Tevinter doesn’t like me’ you two didn’t understand?”

“The part where it is a problem, ser Asahi!” the expression Nishinoya’s making at Asahi is the one parents usually make when their children are being particularly dense. “It’s not like we have to go and  _live_  in Tevinter. And if things go for the worse, you can protect yourself, no? _I’_ ll protect you!” 

Asahi just sighs, hiding behind his own hand. Suga almost pities him.

“I’m with Asahi on this one.” Ennoshita shyly says. “I don’t think we should even talk with this merchant, at this point.”

“But Tevinter! It’s like a mine gold!” Michimiya’s eyes are glimmering with excitement. 

Daichi furrows his brow. He looks at Suga, who shrugs a little. “While I’m not enthusiast on the idea of going anywhere near Tevinter, I think we should at least hear what the man has to say.”

Kuroo scratches his neck. “I think you should refuse. It’s dangerous, Tevinter. I don’t think anybody should get anywhere near it.”

Daichi nods. “Thanks for the heads up. Suga and I will still talk to him, though.”

“Well, it’s your arses.” Kuroo pats Kenma on the head. “C’mon, we left the others alone for too long, I’m afraid they could have burnt the camp to the ground.”

“Hardly, since you weren’t there to start the fire.” Kenma murmurs. Kuroo snorts a laugh, but doesn’t say anything. He waves at Daichi and the others while leaving the tavern.

“Well, good luck with the crazy job. I’d invite you all for drinks, but we’re leaving Kirkwall today.”

“Don’t sweat it. After all, next round is on us.” Daichi replies.

“Yeah, that’s right, so don’t die in stupid jobs, Sawamura.” The elf and the human, with that, leave the Tavern.

Daichi scratches his cheek, thinking. Suga can almost read his thoughts. Daichi’s considering what they should do, if just turn their heels, go back to Ukai and see how things went on his end, or if they should actually go and check what this Mori guy has to say.   
It’s almost funny how Suga can tell exactly what’s going on inside Daichi’s mind. The warrior had once asked him jokingly if he was using blood magic on him or something, and Suga had answered that yes, he indeed had started blood magic with the only purpose of knowing what he was thinking.

“I think we should go, Daichi.” Suga tells him, breaking his trance. Sometimes Daichi needs a little nudge before making a decision, and Suga is there just for that. “It’s just talking, after all.”

Daichi nods, then turns toward their little entourage. “You guys stay here.”

“Sit in a corner and don’t do anything.” Suga pleads them. “Don’t buy anything - I doubt plates and glasses here have ever been washed. Don’t talk with anybody, don’t follow anybody. Tanaka, what do you do if someone wants to sell you a talisman?”

“I tell them to go away.” answers Tanaka in a flat tone. Suga always tells them the same things, as if they were children. But it isn’t like Suga doesn’t have his reasons. Every time Nishinoya and Tanaka were left alone, trouble ensured.

“Ennoshita, I trust you with being the reasonable one.” says Daichi, already half-way up the stairs. 

“Ehi, I’m reasonable too!” Michimiya protests.

“No you are not, you get too worked up on things just like those two.” Daichi tells her, not in a unkind tone.

“Don’t worry, ser Daichi.” the minstrel smiles, giving him a thumb up.

“Maker!” Nishinoya shouts, throwing his hands in hair. “It’s not like we are children!”

Suga just smiles at him gently, following Daichi. The two enter in a room of the Tavern that smells with smoke and alcohol. There’s nobody, exception made for a man sitting at a desk, maps over maps laying on it. He seems to be analyzing them scrupulously. Daichi clears his throat, drawing his attention.

“Can I help you?” the man says with a deep voice.

“We are Karasuno. A man, a servant of yours, I assume, approached us in Starkhaven telling us that you wanted to offer us a job.” Daichi answers, joining his hands behind his back. Suga imitates him.

Recognition lights up the man’s face, and he immediately shows them the chairs near the desk. “Oh, sit, sit, friends! I’m Mori, nice to meet you. I was afraid you wouldn’t have come. Can I offer you something to drink? Something to eat?”

Daichi raises an hand. “No, thank you, we’re here for business.” he says politely. He and Suga sit, Daichi nearer to the man than Suga.

“Oh, you’re professionals, aren’t you? Good, good. I need the best and only the best for the job I want to offer you. You must know that I had planned for more than one company to take over it simultaneously, but all of them, in the end, refused me. You are my only hope.” the man voice and expression are quite humble, kind of nervous, almost worried. But there’s a glint in his eyes, that makes Suga uncomfortable. He puts the feeling aside, as Daichi asks Mori what the job was about.

“It seems to be quite the feat, if it needs so many people.” 

“It is, my friend, it is! I’m sorry, what was your name again?”

Daichi points at himself. “I’m Sawamura” he then points at Suga “he’s my second in command, Sugawara.”

The man nods, and as he does so his double chin shakes a little. “I see I see. Anyway. Let me go straight to the point. I have different luxury items that need to get in Tevinter. I usually trade in the Marches, but a particular offer arrived to me, and I couldn’t decline it. But I do need someone to escort me beyond Tevinter border. There I will be picked up by my client, and you will be able to return in the Marches.”

“Tevinter’s is a dangerous border.” Daichi says warily. Mori waves him off.

“Please! That’s all I’ve heard about these days. Most of the journey is through the Marches, and the point where we’ll cross is a quiet one. I did my homework, before proposing this to other mercenaries.”

Suga leans his chin on his hand, taking a look on the maps on the table. “And where’s this crossing point?”

Mori place a finger on the map, and takes it away immediately. “Here! As you can see, it’s distant from any city or village of importance, so it’s barely populated or anything.”

Suga’s about to point out that maybe they should talk a little more about this topic, but Mori has already changed subject. “Oh, how foolish of me! I almost forgot to mention the pay!”

Daichi gives a look at Suga. “Yeah, about that...”

“I had a budget for the payment, which had to be divided among all companies. But since there are no other companies except for you, then you get the whole cake.”

As Mori tells them how much the “cake” is worth, Suga almost falls from the chair.

 

* * *

 

 

Asahi knows that it had been an awful idea, leaving the tavern they where staying at. The idea is all the more confirmed at all the killer glances he gets as he stands in a corner of the Hanged Man. Nishinoya, Tanaka, Michimiya and Ennoshita are standing near him. Nishinoya is staring thirstily at the bartender, who’s pouring beer after beer. Tanaka’s making faces at everyone who looks at him in a funny way. Michimiya’s leaning against the wall while Ennoshita has taken out his portable lute and his pinching the cords, absent minded.

Kirkwall hates Qunaris, especially after the Qunari tried to take over the city years ago. Asahi isn’t a Qunari, but people who are not Qunari usually don’t make differences between Qunaris and Vashots and Tal Vashots.   
Asahi has a mental list of all the places where people hate Qunaris, and it is quite long since _a lot of people hate Qunaris,_ and Kirkwall is pretty high in the list. The top of the list, though, is taken by Tevinter. Nobody hates Qunaris more than Tevinter, and Asahi prays to the Maker that Daichi won’t bring them to Tevinter because he won’t survive the _idea_  of getting anywhere near Tevinter let alone crossing the Tevene border.

“Do you want to-”

Asahi jumps at the voice of the barmaid that approaches them. The barmaid screams, probably thinking that Asahi’s moving to attack her. Ennoshita immediately goes to her, trying to calm her down. Michimiya helps too, telling the woman that Asahi had just been startled.

When the barmaid calms down a little, she nervously asks if they wanted anything. Much to Nishinoya and Tanaka displeasure, Ennoshita tells her that they are fine, and the woman scurries away.

“You know, ser Asahi, you should probably be more considerate when moving around. You gave the poor girl an heart attack.” Nishinoya says innocently enough. Asahi wants to scream that he did absolutely nothing wrong, that he had been the one scared to death first, that it was absolutely not his fault that people saw him as scary, instead he just smiles sheepishly.

“She startled me a bit.” he says. It’s not a lie. Nishinoya squeezes a bit his eyes, as if to take a better look of him. Asahi bows his head, trying to melt with the wall he’s lying on. 

“I wish I looked like you, ser Asahi!” Tanaka says. He had taken the habit of calling him “ser” after Nishinoya, and every time Asahi felt that little syllable his stomach sunk a little. He was no knight.

 _No you don’t_.

Asahi doesn’t have a problem with being a Vashot. He likes the horn, he can grow a pretty nice goatee, he doesn’t nee a lot of exercise to stay fit. The body itself isn’t a problem. The problem is the way people perceive him, that they see him as dangerous. Asahi knows he’s not dangerous. He’s quite good with a sword, sure, but out of the battlefield he has never been even in a fist fight. The idea of fighting with his bare hands makes him wish to puke.

“Oh Maker how long will they take?” whines Michimiya, who’s getting restless. She moves the weight of her body from one foot to the other, looking around with a predatory expression.

Nishinoya grumbles in agreement. Tanaka rests an arm on Nishinoya’s head.

“Ser Noya! Why don’t we get a beer.” Nishinoya slaps his arm away.

“Because Daichi said no.”

“It was Suga, technically.”

“Same thing.”

“I’m bored.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Ennoshita pinches the bridge of his nose. “Don’t.”

Tanaka tilts his head. “Don’t what? We weren’t doing anything.”

“You were about to.” 

“Ennoshita!” Michimiya calls in a sing song voice. “Sing something!”

The elf blushes. “I, I don’t think it would be appropriate. Also, I don’t know what I could-”

“I know! I know!” Nishinoya excitedly jumps at him. “Sing ser Aveline’s song.”

“But it was-”

“No, no! Sing about the Warden slaying the archdemon!” requests Tanaka. The man has a passion for everything that has a dragon in it, given his birth place. Asahi does feel a certain interest for the topic too, truth be told, but he can’t say why. The creature do fascinate him, though.

“No, ser Aveline!” Nishinoya insists, facing Tanaka. 

“Archdemon.” bites Tanaka back.

Ennoshita shakes his head. “Fine, since you too can’t decide, Michimiya will.”

“I don’t really care what, I’d like everything you’d sing right now.”

Asahi can read the “you are not helping” written all over Ennoshita’s face. The elf turns to Asahi, asking what he’d want. Asahi hasn’t thought about a song to ask, but he doesn’t want to leave the guy hanging, so he has to say a song and allow Ennoshita to perform, but he hasn’t thought of anything, so he blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind.

“Alindra and her soldier?”

Tanaka’s and Nishinoya’s bickering stops, as they turn to Asahi. Michimiya’s squeeling at Asahi. “How cute of you!” she’s pretty much screeching. Asahi’s about to pass out.

“Oh, man, that’s just so sappy!” Tanaka says, then turns to Ennoshita. “Sing that, please?”

“Ser Asahi! You are a traitor, you should have said ser Aveline’s song.” Nishinoya complains, looking at him as if he was an actual traitor. Asahi starts waving his hands maniacally.

“Fine, I’ll change my vote, just please don’t be mad at me!”

Nishinoya’s eyes go wide. “But if you want to hear that other song, you shouldn’t change your idea!” Nishinoya scolds him, hands on hips.

Asahi feels very confused.

“Do you want to listen to that song? Also you said-”

Nishinoya buries his face in his hands, shaking is head. But when he lifts his head, he’s smiling at Asahi. “Can’t you just stick with the option you prefer?”

 _Oh Maker, I don’t care about a stupid song, I just don’t want to people to be mad at me!_ Especially if that “people” was Nishinoya. Nishinoya being angry was something that felt as bad as getting hit in the head. 

“Here they come!”

Michimiya’s voice breaks his line of thoughts, as well everybody else’s. They turn, to see Daichi and Suga walking toward them. They look like the just saw an archdemon.

“How did it go? Did you take the job?” asks Tanaka. Daichi opens his mouth to answer, but no sound comes from him. Suga intervenes. 

“Let’s sit down. And order drinks.”

“But you said-”

“I know what I said but I need a drink.”

They sit down, each with a drink before them. Suga rotates the whisky in his glass a little, then chugs it down. Daichi’s mindlessly looking at the beer before him.

Nishinoya and Tanaka both drink their beers in a single swing, and then turn toward their Captain, with mustaches of lather on their lips.

“So? What did he say?” asks Tanaka.

“Are we getting the job?” asks Michimiya.

 _Oh Maker please say no_.

“How much will they pay?” asks Nishinoya. That seems to move Daichi, because he leans forward.

“Eight.” he says, slowly.

Ennoshita rises his eyebrows. “Well, eight hundred is sure a lot!” 

Daichi rises from his seat, knocking the chair down. Suga just shakes his head at Ennoshita, eyes wide. Daichi approaches Ennoshita, and takes him by his shoulders. “Not hundred.” he says completely calm.

Daichi turns toward them all, eyes like a mad man.

“Eight thousand.”

And Asahi knows they are definitely going to Tevinter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> 1) Special guest stars: Kuroo being master of provocation, Kuroo being "always this nice", Kuroo being a good (boy)friend to Kenma, and Kenma being his adorable self. Also, Kenma snarky but innocent comments.  
> 2) The job I had planned for Karasuno changed as I was writing because that's how writing works and now half my plans blew up and I have to re-think half of the pic (but not the bits that matter)  
> 3) Mori was supposed to be the Vice Principal, but the man has no name, I searched for top popular family name in Japan, chose Mori and then the character came to life on his own.  
> 4) If you noticed in the last chapter Daichi and Suga's old married couple argument of "we got lost, let's ask for directions", "no honey, i know where we are going", "no you don't", then kudos to you  
> 5) I was about to have Suga say "I know what I said but mama needs a drink", then remembered this is supposed to be a serious fic and I'm already making it far too funny, with all these people shenanigan.  
> 6) Poor Asahi. Why nobody listens to Asahi. The guy has good guts, don't go to Tevinter.  
> 7) IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED ORIGINS, OR NEVER ROMANCED LELIANA, THEN OPEN A NEW TAB, WRITE "YOUTUBE", WRITE "ALINDRA AND HER SOLDIER" AND CRY WITH ME not because I like the story very much, but because Asahi would totally love it.  
> 8) Tanaka's a romantic and there's nothing you can tell me to convince me otherwise.  
> 9) Nishinoya's not. He's also trying to have Asahi grow a backbone. Noya has the best intentions.  
> 10) It's like super late so I didn't re-read it, I wanted to have it out, so have the chapter as a sort of draft I'm eventually going to edit eliminating typos and stuff (not the actual chapter, I wouldn't post it if I weren't sure about its structure).  
> 11) There's a little foreshadowing in this chapter! Kudos to whoever finds it (but it's kind easy).  
> 12) It's the first time I'm writing most of the characters, so I hope I got them right (especially Kuroo: I wanted to convey how he seems like a sly person, but also is a good guy, so much so that he tells Karasuno not to accept the job since it's dangerous).  
> 13) I wish you could read the notes I make for the chapters because they are freaking hilarious.  
> 14) Suga's totally a whiskey mom.  
> 15) The funniest thing about Tanaka being a Reaver and having a thing for dragons is that his name has the character for "dragon" in it.  
> I think it's all.  
> Thank you for reading!  
> Love you all  
> Ziba


	3. Vote

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there:   
> 1) I don't know when I'm going to upload next. Might be tomorrow, might be in a week, might be in a month. It depends on my will to study, honestly (the less I want to study, the more a new chapter is likely to be uploaded)  
> 2) I want to get at the spicy bits as soon as possible, but I need to do a good build-up before that, since I want a sort of climax to happen

When they reunite with the others, Daichi doesn’t even allow Ukai to speak about the job he and the others have been requested to do.

He sits down before the Commander in the Tavern’s hall, Suga in tow, all the others around them. Daichi just looks at Ukai straight in the eyes, who’s sitting in a chair, crouches near him. “Eight thousand sovereigns.” he declares, and Ukai throws over his shoulder the map he had been holding.

An excited whispering surrounded them, the sum repeated again and again, lips caressing the words, eyes glistening with thrill, as Ukai asks Daichi for details, which Daichi gives. When he’s done reporting their discussion with Mori, Ukai just stares at him speechless.

“Eight fucking thousand!” yells Lady Tanaka, hugging her brother out of excitement. 

“How much is that for each?” asks Nishinoya, who’s been trying to do the math since they left the Hanged Man.

“It should be six hundred and fifteen!” answers Master Tanaka, who’s smiling from ear to ear. Nishinoya screams and and raises his punch, with Tanaka joining as well in his show.

“I never had that many money in my life.” Michimiya comments, looking before her in a shaken fashion.

“Neither did I!” Nishinoya chirps in. “Just imagine all the stuff we can buy”

“I could finally afford a decent sword!” comments Tanaka. 

“We could also use it to pay some of our family debts, Ryuu.” Saeko raises an eyebrow at her brother.

“With all that money, we could do both! And you could buy some decent ingredients for your potions, sister.”

“We could finally buy decent camping equipment.” Ukai muses, thinking about the holed tents, the rusted pots, and pretty much all the decaying items that they own. 

_We could but Daichi a new shield too._  Suga thinks, seeing in his mind the rotten piece of wood that he was forced to use.

“Suga, we could go to the black market and buy you a good staff.” Daichi says to him. Suga was in a dire need of a staff, since he had been using a sad excuse of an enchanted stick they bought in Denerim by an illegal trafficker.

“Have you accepted already?” Ukai asks Daichi. Daichi shakes his head. 

“No, I wanted to talk with you people first. But I told him that we weren’t necessarily refusing.” 

Ukai clasps his hand on Daichi’s shoulder. “Very well kid! Wery vell! Now all we have to do is tell him that we are in!”

“Lord Ukai, I think that we should talk about this a moment. Tevinter is a rough destination to reach.” Takeda softens their enthusiasm, and the chattering dies out. “And, if I might add, not everybody has said their opinion yet.”

Ukai takes his pipe, lights it and breaths in it. “You are right. I think we should address the issue.”

“Tevinter is not a problem.” Tanaka brushes it off. “We are staying in the Free Marches most of the time, and the two seconds we’ll be in Tevinter won’t be trouble at all.”

Nishinoya slings an arm around Tanaka’s neck, forcing him to bend down to his level. “And it’s not like we can’t fight, right? We are a strong company, a few Vints won’t tear us down!”

“You tell ‘em, ser Noya!” Tanaka nods keenly, looking ad Daichi with a begging expression.

“I wouldn’t just call them ‘a few Vints’ though” Asahi’s deep voice makes everyone turn toward him. The Vashot blushes, lowes his head, and mumbles a “sorry, just thinking out loud.”

“Say what you think, Azumane.” Ukai tells him, patiently.

Asahi shakes his head. “Nothing! Really!”

“Just spill it out Asahi.” Daichi enourages him.

“Yeah, Asahi, every opinion's important.” Suga tells him as well. Asahi looks at him with wide purple eyes, then he takes in a deep breath.

“Fine. I think we shouldn't do this.” A chorus of protests rises, and Asahi shrinks a little in himself. Ukai shuts everybody up, allowing the Vashot to keep talking. “Eight thousand is surely alluring (when did he learn a word like alluring?) but don't you think that going to Tevinter is far too dangerous? I mean, you all heard of Tevinter mages, right? Just think of what Suga can do himself, and think about what an entire group of them could do to us. And if normal mages weren't powerful enough, they have _blood mages_. Blood mages can use them as their puppets. It's...” he pauses a moment, feeling the heat of blood on his face. “scary.”

There's silence for a long moment. Suga looks at Daichi, Daichi looks back at Suga, eyebrows furrowed.

Asahi isn't _wrong_. Magisters do use blood magic, and even if they don't, they are still powerful spellcasters. Suga can't even hope to compete with them. Daichi does have some Templar training, but it's nearly not enough to battle against Magisters from Tevinter, not unless he started taking lyrium (and Suga isn't going to allow lyrium use on Daichi any time soon). Even then, a lone almost-Templar against full-trained mages who never had their powers restrained? Sounded like a really baseless hope, if you ask Suga.

One the other hand, meeting Tevinter mages was a _possibility_ , whereas those eight thousand sovereigns where a solid reality. If they escorted Mori over the border, they'd have more money than they'd hope to gain in years, as things where proceeding. A company like Nekoma, who had jobs more often than not, could afford to refuse such an offer. But Karasuno, whose income each year barely made it to two- two and a half thousand? It would have been ridiculous.

“I'm… I'm with Asahi here.” Ennoshita shyly says, the elf leaning toward the Vashot. Asahi smiles a little to him, obviusly grateful for the support.

Ukai scratches his temple with his pipe. “I see your point, Azumane, Ennoshita. We probably were blinded by the money, and didn't consider the danger.”

“I think we should all take our time to think about it.” Daichi rises from his seat. “Suga and I have to give Mori our decision tomorrow in the evening. I think we could meet tomorrow morning and vote.”

“It's a good idea, ser Sawamura.” Master Takeda claps his hands together. “We should all benefit from the time given to us to chose, and ponder what the best course of action is.”

“I don't need time to think.” Tanaka says, waving an hand. “I want to go.”

Saeko punches him in the head. “Don' be stupid and say things like this without thinking.”

“You mean you don't wanna go?!” Tanaka looks at him as if he's seeing his sister for the first time. She shakes his head.

“Nope, I wanna go. But it doesn't mean we shouldn't think about this.”

“When did you become this wise?”

“You brat, I was born wise.”

“No you weren't!”

“No I wasn't. I was born awesome!”

Suga stops listening to their bickering. Everyone is getting up, chatting in small groups. Shimizu, Ennoshita and Asahi are talking together, and Suga approaches them.

“Do you think we should stay too?” Suga asks Shimizu. She shrugs a little.

“I don't know. It does sound dangerous, but we could use the money.”

“Isn't it better to live poorly, but to at least live?” Asahi says, stressing the world “live”.

“You are starting by the assumption we will die, ser Asahi, which is wrong.” Nishinoya intervenes, looking up at the Vashot.

“I'm starting by the assumption that we shouldn't rush into danger.” Asahi rebuts. Nishinoya pats his arm.

“But we aren't rushing. We're taking time to think, and we're gonna vote. Which is stupid, since we all know we are going.” Nishinoya tilts a little his head, smiling. “And it is fine! We are gonna be all right. All right _and_ rich.”

Asahi's mouth twists in a little line, but then it offers a smile. “When you say it like that I might even believe you.”

Suga smiles at them both, and punches Asahi in the arm. “You should stop with the negative thinking, Asahi! Don't you know that negative feelings are what draw demons' attention?”

Asahi jolts straight from his slouching, looking at Suga with wide, terrified eyes. “What? You mean I could draw a demon? But they can't possess not-mages, right? Right?!”

“Pff, ser Asahi. No need to be so scared about _everything_. _”_ Nishinoya, once again reprimands him. “And I told you, right? I'm here to protect you guys! I won't let something stupid like a demon get anywhere near you.”

Suga's about to tell Nishinoya that demon possession doesn't probably works like that, but he doesn't have the heart to do so. Partly because Nishinoya's positive energy would be a shame to put down, and partly because Nishinoya wouldn't probably listen to him.

Suga leaves the group, and goes to the room he's sharing with Asahi, Daichi, Nishinoya and Tanaka. They had to take rent just four rooms, and had squeeze everybody in them. Nobody wanted to sleep with Nishinoya because he's an horrible morning person, nobody wanted to sleep with Ukai because he snores (well, Lady Tanaka wanted, but they had a three people room that had to be filled, and Michimiya and Shimizu didn't want to sleep with any of the guys), and nobody wanted to sleep with Suga because he stays up until late reading. Pretty much, nobody wanted to sleep with anybody, so a compromise had to be reached.

Anyhow, Suga opens the door of the room, finding it, of course, empty. He falls on the bed, lying down mattress cracking under his weight. On the bed are lying his enchanted robes, of Chasind origin probably, bought in Denerim like his staff. He couldn't go around with them, since he doesn't wish to be lynched by a mage-hating mob, so Suga has to move around cities in light armour and with a short sword on him. Daichi and Shimizu had taught him some moves, and he can defend himself pretty well, but in a real death or life situation Suga's only option is to revolve to magic.

He hears a faint knock, and mutters a “come in”. Daichi's head pops from behind the door.

“Hey, you all right?” Daichi asks. “I saw you coming here alone and got worried.”

Suga waves him off. “I just wanted to lay down. Clear my head. Have some beauty sleep.”

Daichi laughs at that, and Suga smiles at himself. He pats the space beside him, inviting Daichi to lay down as well, and the Captain compels, mattress cracking once again for mercy.

“I surely hope that this thing will not break while I sleep.” Suga comments at the obnoxious noise. Daichi nudges him.

“You can always tell Asahi to sleep on the floor.” Daichi proposes sneakily. Suga leans on one of his elbows, turns toward Daichi, and flicks his forehead.

“How many times do I have to tell you that Asahi's not sleeping on the floor?” Suga scolds him, and Daichi just laughs roughly, rubbing his forehead. Suga looks at him for a second, laughs as well, and lies down again, shoulders touching each other.

It takes a long while before any of them speaks, both deep in thoughts, and the silence is so comfortable that it's almost a pity to fill it with words.

“What do you think?” Suga asks, turning his head toward Daichi. Daichi sighs, moving an arm so that it rests on under is own head.

“I think I want to rub some 'coordinated equipment' on Kuroo's face.”  
Suga hits Daichi in his side. Daichi groans in pain, giving him a dirty look.

“Why do you always hurt me?” he complains, and Suga laughs softly at him.

“That's how I show affection!” Suga utters, smiling from head to toe. Daichi looks at him, as if to reply somehow, but then he blushes a little and stares back at the ceiling.

“I think we need the money, and I think we should take the risk. How likely it is for Tevinter mages to show up _just_ as we cross the border? I mean, what are the odds?” Daichi goes back in topic, and Suga follows suit, turning serious.

“I think I'm going to vote yes. It surely is dangerous, but so was escaping from the Circle, or trying to break the phylactery, or really, any job we took.” Suga rolls on his side. “How many times we dodged a sword, or an arrow? How many times did we take wounds? Every one of them could have killed us. This is _more_ dangerous, sure, but that's what we chose to do with our lives, isn't it?”

Daichi nods, eyes still locked to the ceiling. “Agreed.” He simply says. “We'll need to convince Asahi of this too. He can't be half-assed about this, or we lose our main offensive asset.”

Suga shrugs. “Leave it to Noya. The guy has a pretty silver tongue, when it concerns Asahi.”

Daichi hums in agreement. Then he rolls as well on his side, so that he's facing Suga. “I meant what I said before, you know. I want to buy you a decent staff.”

“Well, fine, but only if I can buy you a shield.” Suga says back, and he can't help but grin. Daichi digs his head a little in the pillow. “You should save the money for something more important.”

“More important than making sure my Captain's safe? There's hardly anything I can think of.” Suga teases him, nudging him. Daichi shakes his head, and Suga can swear that Daichi's blushing furiously. He does like that.

“Suga, you'll be the death of me, I swear.” Daichi mutters, moving in a sitting position. Suga pokes him with a finger, playfully. The mage shushes Daichi.

“Stop being all grumpy, you know you love me.”

* * *

 

Asahi barely sleeps that night. His stomach doesn't seem to be able to digest dinner, his brain is working at a worrying pace, and he just turn and turns in his bed. Sleeping near the window doesn't help either, since he can hear all the noises from the outside.

He has spent the whole afternoon trying to make people understand that they really didn't need the money, and ended up being convinced by Nishinoya that they did, in facts, need the money. And, even more, they needed the experience that such a quest would have gifted them.

“Think about it, ser Asahi. If we take this job, which's pretty difficult, then we'll be able to take all the other jobs!” had said Nishinoya, gesturing vividly. During dinner he had sat with Nishinoya, Tanaka (you can't find one without the other), Ennoshita and Shimizu. Tanaka had been to busy bothering Shimizu to participate to the conversation, while Ennoshita had been too busy keeping Tanaka quiet.

“But we could _die_. Do you want any of us to die?” Asahi had uttered, distressed. Nishinoya had looked at him with an intense and disappointed expression that had made Asahi feel ashamed, even though he couldn't have said why.

“You really have so little trust in us? You think that the slightest thing would slaughter us?” Nishinoya had pressured, almost getting up. He did lean toward him in an almost menacing way. His voice sounded both offended and hurt. “Look, I heard about what happened two years ago, that you guys were killed off by Darkspawn. But you didn't know what was happing back then, right? And now you wouldn't get surprised by such an attack. You got better, right? Everybody did! And now you have me watching your back.” Nishinoya's speech was enthusiastic, and encouraging. “So don't be so afraid. Trust the others, trust me, and trust yourself. We don't call you our ace for nothing, right ser Asahi?”

Those words had been inspiring and haunting him all night. Nishinoya could be overwhelming, at least for him. It's not like he doesn't feel better, after hearing the blind trust behind the man's words. He feels flattered, to put it lightly, honoured, to be truthful. But Asahi also knows that all his ability is born from his physical strength, and that there is so much he can do to improve that. He isn't like Suga, who can study and meditate to get better, or like Tanaka, who has a fire inside that moves him forward. He doesn't have Daichi's leading ability, nor Nishinoya's natural talent, nor his inspiring aura. He's just a big dude with a big sword, that he can swing well enough. He can't even par correctly, he needs Nishinoya to take the hits for him. If that doesn't make him a poor excuse of a person, he doesn't know what could.

But there's a little part of Asahi that's _proud_ Nishinoya told him that. A part that wants to be the kind of person Nishinoya believes him to be.

He turns again in bed, shutting his eyes even more, trying to sleep.

Asahi's still going to vote “no”, but if they do go in Tevinter, he'll do his best. He has to, if he doesn't want his fear of them being wiped away to turn into reality. As Noya had put it, he was the “ace”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> 1) Kids are getting to excited over money. That's not all life is about.  
> 2) Nishinoya's precious.  
> 3) @ Daichi and Suga: kiss already dudes.  
> 4) Daichi totally wanted to tell Suga that kissing is a better way to show affection, but he chickened out.  
> 5) Suga's a tease and I love that.  
> 6) They are not together yet at this point of the story, mind you.  
> 7) Tanaka and Saeko, I love them.  
> 8) I didn't want to put the "Asahi's the ace" cliché at first. I was like "yeah yeah we know move on already", but then, it kind of fit? Like, having a Vashot on their team would make this Vashot an "ace" (as in "talent", "card in the sleeve").  
> 9) You might have noticed that I LOVE dialogue and internal monologue, but I'm not fond of description. I'm trying to change this, I swear.  
> 10) Ugh probably I have another chapter of building up, since I want to write something about Tanaka's and Nishinoya's background. Mostly Noya's.  
> That should be all  
> Thank you for reading!  
> Love you all  
> Ziba


	4. Goods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: behold me lowkey shipping Asaidai.  
> Jokes aside, this chapter took so long because I wrote bits of it every once in a while from the phone and then patched it together. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!  
> Thank you for reading and for your support!!

Mori is waiting for them outside of Kirkwall.

Daichi and Suga had talked to him right after the vote, two days prior. The verdict had been, unsurprisingly, a “yes”. Against had been only Asahi and Ennoshita. The merchant, hearing about their decision, had been overjoyed, and had told them that his goods where due to arrive in two days, and to meet him with the whole company outside the city gates.

The company had used those days to gather supplies for the journey. Food, arrows, ingredients for potions and poison. Mori hadn’t given them a retainer, so they had to use all their left money. There had been an overall excited atmosphere, enthusiasm allowing everyone to get through those days of waiting.

Mori is standing near a covered wagon, inside of which there are, presumably, the goods that need to cross the border. The man, middle-aged, with a strong built and short hair, waves at the group once he sees them.

“Well met, friends, well met!” he greets them, clasping Daichi’s arm in a friendly manner. Daichi clasps it back, nodding at him.

“We are ready to go, Mori. Allow us to load our stuff on the wagon and-”

Mori moves away from Daichi, before his wagon, almost protective. “I’m sorry, friend, but I don’t think that would be for the best. My goods are really delicate and I’m afraid that a not watchful move might end up in a disaster.”

Daichi rises his eyebrow. Suga trails Daichi, pointing at the tents and items that the team’s warriors are carrying right now. “And what are we supposed to do with those? They can’t carry them all the way to Tevinter.”

“We’ll be careful, I promise.” Daichi says with a reassuring smile. Mori doesn’t smile back, though. Instead, he scratches his head and turns to the wagon.

“Fine, but I’ll load them, and when the time will come to set up camp, I’ll be the one to unload them. So to be clear.” 

Daichi gives Suga a perplexed look, but Suga just shrugs. “His goods, his rules.” he mutters to the other man. Daichi shakes his head, and gives instructions to his men to give the equipment to Mori.

Takeda and Ukai approach the wagon. “So, where’s the seat of this thing?” Ukai mumbles, moving with his crunches. Mori lets a tent fall, and rushes toward the man.

“What- What do you need?” he asks nervously. Ukai rises an eyebrow, and then a crunch. “

“Have you noticed that I can’t exactly move fine? I’m going to be part of the guard for your good up close, with Master Takeda and those two guys.” he points at Narita and Kinoshita, who are bringing the stew pot near the wagon.

“All these people? Don’t you think you can just... I don’t know...”

Takeda scratches his chin, looking at the wagon. “I suppose Narita and Kinoshita can walk beside the wagon, but lord Ukai needs to sit, and I don’t think to have the constitution needed for a long walk such as this.” and then he smiles apologizing at Mori. Who realizes that Tanaka and Nishinoya are starting to load without him, almost entering the wagon. “Fine, then, just do what you think is best.” Mori hurries away, telling Tanaka and Nishinoya that he’ll take it from there.

“Is it me or Mori is fidgeting around that wagon a lot?” Suga asks Daichi, muttering. Daichi clicks his tongue.

“If he’s willing to pay eight thousand for our protection, it must be really expensive stuff. As you said, his goods his rules.”

* * *

 

Mori is really protective of his goods, Suga comes to notice.

In the three days they have been travelling, the man had barely left the wagon. Actually, he hadn’t left it at all. He had been on edge all times, being careful that nobody even gets a glimpse of what is inside the wagon. He didn’t even pee if the wagon was far from his sight. One night, Suga had been reading books in his tent, only to hear a fearsome scream. He had thought them to be under attack, but it turned out to be Mori screaming at Tanaka and Nishinoya who were fooling around his precious wagon.

Daichi had to apologize to him along the two guys, looking mortified, but later that night, in Suga’s tent, Daichi had turned out to be quite irritated at the man’s behavior. Suga had calmed him down, reminding him that there was not much they would do if he was so attached to that wagon, and that they had to bear the man’s weirdness for a little while, so Daichi had to get used to it.

Mori had been, therefore, a really worrying travelling companions, but Suga had been more worried at something else.

Since they had departed, he had felt a strange sensation, connected to the Fade. It was like the Veil had been really, really thin in every place they had passed through, which was quite strange. It’s not like any wars or big fighting had happened in those roads, as far as Suga knew, and he’s quite sure he hasn’t practiced any magic that could have weakened the Veil.

Still, he wakes up each night, wet with sweat, demons trying to lure him in his sleep. It’s like there’s nothing holding them back, while he’s sleeping, and it’s both strange and worrying. He gets tired and tired as the days passes, weakened by the forced march Mori has them go through and the sleepless nights. The thin Veil makes it so that he has to fend off demons while awake, while walking, while eating, at every time of the day, and it’s draining him.

Suga doesn’t tell anyone, though. He helps Daichi in keeping Tanaka and Nishinoya in check, he talks with Shimizu and Saeko about this herb or that root, he tries to get Asahi out of his nervous state, heals the little scratches that Michimiya receives from her wandering around, his usual routine. But Suga knows that Daichi has noticed that something’s wrong, even if he tells nothing. So has Master Takeda, that instead asks him if everything is okay. Suga brushes it off with a smile, and while it’s obvious that Takeda isn’t convinced, he doesn’t pry, and Suga’s grateful for that.

Suga asks Ennoshita what he knows about the lands their are passing though, the minstrel being really knowledgeable of Thedas history and its myths and legends. He thinks that, maybe, he knows a story that could explain the weak Veil.

Turns out, nothing really important happened there, nothing that could have explained that phenomenon. In Kirkwall Suga had felt the same weakness in the Veil, and had blamed the explosion of the Church of years ago. He starts to believe that maybe that action had weakened the Veil across most of the Free Marches, even though it goes sort of against what he has studied. The area should be circumscribed.

Suga can’t really wrap his head around it.

* * *

 

Asahi had been on edge for days, waiting for something to swoop on them.

He jolts at each sound, looks at every corner with suspect, sleeps with a dagger under his pillow (literally). He often stays up during guard shifts even when they are not his own, getting then scolded by Daichi. It’s not like he doesn’t trust other people at doing it, but he can’t sleep at all, so he might as well let other people rest in his place.

The only moment his mind his off the fear of an incoming danger, is when he’s trying to talk Nishinoya and Tanaka out of trying to sneak into the wagon. The two have made it their objective in life to see what Mori’s hiding in there, and Asahi doesn’t want them to get in trouble - again - with Daichi. So while they are camping, and have nothing else to do, he asks Nishinoya and Tanaka to spar with him. The two always get worked up over their training session, and when they are done they are too tired to cause any ruckus.

When sparring with Tanaka, Nishinoya screams at him tricks to par and dodge, which usually end up with Asahi getting confused and hit in the head by a mortified Tanaka. When sparring with Nishinoya, Asahi gets a better hold on fighting an all defensive opponent. His greatest strength is his ability to break through any defense set before him, but he more often than not struggles while facing Nishinoya, the human being too quick for Asahi, who can’t always manage to read his movements. It’s good practice, though, since it’s almost impossible to find someone as good ad Nishinoya when it comes to being a defensive tower.

Asahi has always wondered why Nishinoya had decided to put all his efforts in defense, while, seeing his temperament and physical prowess, he could have been just as good in a more offensive role.

On the other hand, Tanaka’s fighting style suits the Nevarran nobleman personality just fine. After joining the Karasuno company, the man had immediately started telling the tale of how he was thought the way of the berserk by an exiled dwarven warrion the year before, and how at fifteen, several year before, he had undergone a Nevarran ritual that had given him the dragon hunters ability to use blood during fights. Suga had almost choked on the roasted chicken he was eating, thinking that Tanaka was a blood mage of sort. It turned out that while the ritual wasn’t exactly the most holy of them, it didn’t involve blood magic. And it was pretty useful in battle, even if pretty demanding, so everybody had just left Tanaka to do his thing.

Asahi leaves the two after their sparring matches, like he had done before, the fourth day of travelling. He reaches his tent, nodding at Michimiya and Ennoshita who were playing wicked grace near the fire as he passes. They ask him if he wants to partecipate, but Asahi declines. He wants to take a little nap while everyone is awake and sharp, in order to stay up later.

The moment he lays his head is also the moment when Daichi enters his tent, bringing a bun of bread filled with cheese, as he always did when he wanted to reward someone. Asahi sits up, Daichi puts the bun in his hands, and the Vashots look at it, and then at Daichi, skeptical.

“Thank you?” he says, tentatively. Daichi flicks his forehead.

“Stop with that face, would you? I’m not trying to poison you or something.” Daichi sits before him, hands crossed before his chest. “You are doing a good job with Tanaka and Nishinoya, so have a ‘good work’ bun.”

Asahi looks at him moved to tears. Daichi gives him an annoyed look. “Don’t cry. Please.”

“You are never nice to me, so I’m just happy...”

“I’m going to take that bun away if you shed a single tear.”

Asahi laughs a little, passing an hand on his eyes to eliminate said tears. He bits the bun, which is a little old, of course, and it’s cold, it can’t be otherwise seeing that they had been baked days ago, but Asahi finds it delicious.

Daichi stands there, looking at nothing in particular, while Asahi eats in silence. It’s only when the bun has long reached Asahi’s stomach that Daichi talks again. “How do you see things are going, Asahi?” he asks.

Asahi tilts his head. Despite the way Daichi often treated Asahi, Asahi do consider him a close of friend. He and Suga are his best friends. But never has Daichi asked him about missions status and similar. That’s usually Suga’s place.

“We didn’t die yet, so not bad?” Asahi offers, not sure about what Daichi wants to hear. Probably not that, since, he sighs.

“I don’t know. Mori’s acting strangely, Suga’s being even more strange, and even you are acting out of character.” Daichi smiles a little, but it doesn’t seem like an happy smile.

“I don’t really know about Mori, since I don’t know him. I see Suga’s light in his tent on during most of the night, and sometimes I hear someone gasping, like waking up violently. And I- I just want to make sure that everything goes smoothly.” Asahi says, shrugging a little.

“What? Suga isn’t sleeping?”

“I don’t think so, or at least he isn’t sleeping well.”

Daichi furrows his brow, lowers his head, deep in thought. He mutters something like “He didn’t tell me anything.”, then scratches the nape of his neck, tiredly. Asahi leans a bit forward.

“Can I do something?” he proposes. Daichi looks up at him, then offers him a more sincere smile.

“See? Completely out of character. You’re supposed to be freaking out.” Asahi is about to defend himself, but Daichi waves him off. “It’s all right. Just keep Nishinoya and Tanaka out of trouble. Ennoshita does it while we are moving, so I think it’s fair to give him a break when camped.” Daichi rises, than bids him goodnight, leaving him alone.

Asahi lays down once more, covering himself with a blanket. It’s fairly hot, but he can’t sleep with something covering him independently from the temperature.

Why is it so strange for him to try and be of help? Sure, he’s not a lion heart, but it’s not like he can’t see when he’s needed. He doesn’t want the trust of the others to be gone to waste, and if tiring Nishinoya and Tanaka out cold is all he can do, then isn’t it normal that he does so? And what’s the deal with Suga? Is he not fine? Why doesn’t Daichi know about Suga’s lack of sleep? Don’t they do everything together?

Asahi sighs. He needs a nap.

* * *

 

It’s on the sixth day that they are cornered by bandits.

They had left convoy advance for a while on the road, until they had them cornered.

The leader of the bandits, a human woman of roughly forty years, approaches Daichi, Suga and Asahi, who are walking at the head of the group.

“Greetings, travellers! What an interesting sight you make.” she is sneering, looking with predatory eyes at the wagon, from where Ukai is sneering back, a crossbow casually -but not so casually- slung across his lap, an arrow ready to be fired. “I am afraid to inform you, though, that the road from here on is a _really_ dangerous one, full of people with bad intentions, not to talk about the wild animals ready to leap on you. And the Dalish. They have been killing anyone who passes near the camp.”

“Fuck the Dalish.” shouts one of the around-thirty men that are surrounding them.

Suga slowly, cautiously, takes the staff of his back, and pretends to use it as a support to stand. He sees Asahi’s hand twitch, ready to reach the great axe on his back as well. Suga gives a subtle glance behind them, without moving his head. Everyone is tense, hands ready to reach their weapons, waiting for Daichi’s signal.

“Yeah fuck those rabbit-eared bastards,” agrees the woman, turning back at Daichi with a smile. “Anyway. Since we are good people, we’d like to help you on your travel. Those predators I talked you about are especially attracted by people who seem to carry precious goods.”

“Of course they are.” Daichi mutters.

“We’d like to relieve you of this wagon, who might obviously attract people’s unwanted attention.” continues the woman, pointing at the wagon, where Mori’s face has turned purple.

Daichi leans back, weight on his back leg, arms crossed. “This is a generous offer, but I think we are going to take our risks. We could say that I see our days as bright as they can be.”

“Did someone say ‘bright’?” comes the voice of Saeko. Everyone turns to her, and the woman’s holding a little flask.

_Here we go_. Suga thinks, covering his eyes.

Saeko launches the flasks, which breaks near the forward line of bandits, and a blinding light follows right after.

What happens next is pretty much slaughter. Those bandits have no chance against the Karasuno company.

Suga directs the rear guard, composed by Shimizu, Lady Tanaka and Ennoshita. Daichi coordinates the vanguard, meaning Asahi, Nishinoya, Tanaka and Michimiya, while Ukai guards the wagon aided by Takeda, Narita and Kinoshita. Mori just stands there.

Suga rises barriers around the vanguard, and sends blessing their way. The Veil being thin strengthens his magic, but at the same time it drains him of more mana. He doesn’t mind, the weight of two little lyrium flasks reminding him that, if needed, he has a back-up plan.

“Asahi! Take that woman down!” Daichi orders, keeping two men from sneaking toward the rearguard. “Nishinoya, cover him!”

“Got it!” the two men shout together, moving toward the heavily armored woman, who’s displaying a huge maul.

“Can’t we talk it over?” she says, annoyed, then slamming the maul toward Asahi’s skull. Nishinoya block it by hitting her in the stomach with the shield. The woman stumbles back, stopped in her attack.

Asahi swings his great axe, but the woman parries it with the handle of the maul.

Suga prepares a fire ball at the tip of his staff, ready to send it toward three man that are aiming right toward the wagon. He swings with all his strength, the heat of the magic caressing his body. The heat is not as gentle with those man, as it hit them with a fearsome roar.

“Fuck it! They have a mage!” says one of the man, before being cut down by a really excited Tanaka.

“Who’s next, you sods?!” Tanaka growls, a predatory smile of his own on his face. He launches himself toward the nearest man, great sword in hand, shouting like a mad man.

“Leave the baldy alone and kill the mage!” shouts the woman who’s leading the bandits, as she kicks Asahi in the leg. The Vashot barely moves at the hit, but is slowed down for a second. The woman slings again, and again Nishinoya intercepts the it. The woman snarls frustrated, aiming at him, but Noya’s quick to avoid the maul.

Suga immediately feels that the focus of the battle has changed from the wagon to himself, as more than one man tries to approach him.

“Got you!” bellows Michimiya, who cuts the man from his side.

“Thanks!” shouts Suga back. She smiles and nodes, and then is back to fighting.

Suga hears a whistle from the distance, and then a sharp pain to his cheekbone. He touches it, and then sees blood on his hand. Looks back, and sees an arrow sticking in the ground. “Archer!” he shouts, rising more barriers. He turns toward Shimizu. “Get ‘em!” the woman nods, then dashes forward, moving through the battlefield, almost unnoticed.

Another arrow flies toward Suga, and if it weren’t for the barrier shielding him, it would have pierced his skull. He gulps, more magic pouring from him to his companions. The barriers are starting to wear down, and he has to refill them with power.

“Suga! Are you all right?” Daichi shouts at him, while cutting down with his sword another arrow aimed at Suga.

“Yeah! I sent Shimizu at them. How you doing?”

“Fine! Nishinoya and Asahi should be almost done with her.”

“Good! See you later.” Suga nods at him, signaling that he has to go back to the vanguard. Daichi nods back, moving.

Just as Suga turns, he’s attacked by a man. He rises his staff, intercepting the blow. He has to take a few steps back, to fully absorb it, and then has to rise his staff again, another attack incoming. Nobody is trying to help him, so everyone’s busy. He has to deal with the matter himself.

Suga brings two fingers to his forehead, letting out a blast of energy that knocks the bandit down. He sends a blast of magic at him, the enchanted staff twirling in his hands, Moving behind in order to create as much distance from the man as he can. The bandit gets hit repetitively, and eventually collapses under Suga’s attack. He sighs in relief, and turns.

In that exact moment, Asahi’s blade stabs the woman in the chest, killing her. Nishinoya cheers at him, while the remaining bandits start to run away, panicked by the loss of their leader. Tanaka haunts them more, effectively driving away whoever has remained of the bandits.

“Let them go!” Daichi orders, as some are already moving to give them chase. The Karasuno company reunites around the wagon, to count the damage.

“Is everybody alive?” asks Ukai, who’s already preparing a pipe. 

“I think I broke a rib.” says Tanaka. The battle rush is wearing off, and he starts to feel the consequences of his reckless fighting style. Suga sighs. He has told him plenty of time that he should be more careful when using his Reaver training, but his words entered from one ear and came out of the other.

“Come here, Tanaka.” Suga calls, sitting down, and patting the space near him. Tanaka starts unclasping his armor, wincing in pain at the movement.

“What did I told you about being a reckless idiot, Ryuu?” Lady Tanaka scolds him, while stealing the pipe from Ukai, smoking a little. Tanaka just rolls his eyes, and doesn’t add anything.

“Suga, you are bleeding too.” Daichi observes. Suga shrugs it off. 

“Nothing bad.” he turns toward Yui. “Michimiya! Are you hiding some wounds?”

“Nope, I’m fine, they didn’t even touch me.” the woman answers, as she loots some of the bodies quite cheerfully.

“Daichi? Nishinoya? Asahi?” Suga asks, knowing who’s more likely to keep quiet about eventual wounds. Tanaka in the meantime exposes his right side, where a huge bruise covers his ribs. He touches lightly the skin, and Tanaka jumps.

“You are cold! And ticklish.” he complains. Suga flicks his ear.

“Don’t be a baby and let me heal you.” his hands glow with blue, healing magic, and Tanaka sighs content.

“I’m fine.” says Daichi.

“Me too. Nishinoya took a bad hit on the arm, though.” Asahi answers. Nishinoya punches him in the arm.

“You traitor!”

“Start to take off the armor, then let me see.” Suga says, and his tone doesn’t admit any “buts”. Nishinoya obeys, pouting, but he immediately finds again his good mood.

“We totally _overwhelmed_  them!” he stresses the word, probably proud of knowing it. Tanak squirms under Suga’s hand to turn to his friend.

“They totally didn’t know what hit them!” he says. Suga flicks him again, telling him to stay still. Tanaka mumbles and apology.

“Asahi was totally cool!” Nishinoya continues, turning to the Vashot, eyes glimmering. “That woman was all ‘gotcha’ but then you _sbam_  and she was dead!”

Asahi’s looking at him with the same expression of someone before a particularly difficult puzzle, but eventually smiles and rubs his neck sheepishly. “Honestly I couldn’t have done it without you-”

“Of course you couldn’t, what I’m here for otherwise?” Nishinoya continues, grinning. Suga’s pretty sure that Asahi’s about to have an heart attack, but doesn’t say anything to add to his embarrassment.

When he’s done with Tanaka, while the others are piling up the bodies, Nishinoya comes as well, exposing his arm. He’s wearing his under-armor shirt, but Suga can still see the little bruises all over his body. The man surely takes a lot of hits. “So, where does it hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt-”

“Noya don’t lie to Suga.” arrives the irritated voice of Daichi. Nishinoya’s back straightens a little, at the implied scolding. 

“Fine, the elbow.” he grumbles. Suga turns the arm, so to see the elbow. It’s dark and swollen. Suga gives Nishinoya a small but tired look. 

“That doesn’t look like a ‘doesn’t hurt’, Noya.” he says, starting the healing procedure. Noya winces a little, bites his lower lip, but doesn’t move at all, making it easy for Suga to heal him.

“See, unlike Tanaka you are a good patient.” Suga says trying to cheer him up. Unsurprisingly, Nishinoya smiles proudly, even if he doesn’t say anything.

Daichi sneaks -as much as someone of his built can sneak, at least- and slaps a clean bandage on Suga’s cheek. The mage jolts in pain, the gesture less delicate than what intended to be, but smiles at Daichi, thanking him for the thought.

“If you don’t heal it it’s gonna leave a scar.” Daichi tells him, but Suga just shrugs, allowing him to clean the blood while Suga’s healing Nishinoya.

They camp a little further, stopping for the day.

* * *

 

It’s the eight day when they finally cross the Tevinter border, it’s raining, and a group of Tevinter soldiers, led by a Magister, is facing them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> 1) Mori's hiding something and nobody knows what because he's a little ----  
> 2) At first I wanted him to be the Vice-Principal (you know, wig-dude), but then went for this original character because of reasons.  
> 3) MY POOR SUGA NEEDS HIS SLEEP  
> 4) SO DOES ASAHI  
> 5) I love Tanaka and Nishinoya, if you couldn't tell  
> 6) Hope you enjoyed totally self-indulgent Asaidai moment. (It's not even shipp-y)  
> 7) CLIFFHANGER  
> Should be all! See you next update!  
> Love you all  
> Ziba


	5. Blocked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Evil laughter*  
> So it begins.
> 
> Disclaim: Verre is an original character (totally based on the Latin man that Cicero owned back in the day); if someone from Dateko dies, assume that they aren't Haikyuu characters, just extras.   
> Hope you'll enjoy!

“Lord Verre! My friend!” Mori says, screaming to surpass the noise of the rain. The man jumps out of the wagon, approaching the Magister. The man looks down at him, his noble features distorted by disdain.

“Mori.” he greets him. The merchant moves to hug him, but the Tevene man rises and hand. “Don’t touch me.”

Suga looks around. There are at least twenty soldiers, two guards, who are holding a hooded person between them, four mages, probably the Magister’s apprentices, and three other men, who are wearing simple clothes and have chains around their necks. Slaves, without a doubt.

The rain is thick, merciless. It’s supposed to be midday, but it’s as dark as midnight. Daichi is gesturing to the others to get closer to the wagon, and Suga approaches it as well. The Tevinter man, Verre, seems to be Mori’s client, but it doesn’t mean that he’s friendly toward them.

“I thought that Carter would have been here.” Verre says to Mori. Mori opens his mouth to answer, expression somewhat embarrassed, but Verre cuts him off. “Just show me the wares.”

Mori leads Verre near the wagon, followed by the slaves. Suga gapes at the man. He’s the first free mage that he meets, and can’t help but wonder how different life for Tevene mages must be. He has read about the Tevinter Circles, but being books from Andrastian writers he can’t help but thing that they might have been not so precise, if not blatantly incorrect, the thought of “free mages are evil” behind the intentions of the writer.

Verre passes close to Suga, almost bumping into him. He stops in his track, turning to the Fereldan man. “You there. Are you a mage?”

Suga’s back straightens, feeling under judgment. “Yes, ser.” he answers formally. Even under the rain, he can see the Magister’s eyebrows shot up, curiosity now replacing the former disdain. Although, if the little smirk on his face says anything, it’s the same curiosity one would have for a strange animal. “I’ve never met one of the Chantry’s pet, before. Because I assume you escaped from one of those barbarian Circles, didn’t you?”

Suga nods. “You assume correctly, even though I wouldn’t call me a Chantry’s pet-”

“Of course you wouldn’t, you poor thing.” the man raises Suga’s chin, looking at him like a man about to purchase said strange animal, trying to estimate its worth. Suga shivers, not liking the feeling. “Have you considered coming to Tevinter? I can arrange your entering in the country, and I could take you in. Of course, you’d be free, after paying your debt with me.” the man proposes.

Suga’s about to answer that he’d rather stay away from Tevinter if he can, but someone moves though the rain. “I think Mori is waiting for you, ser Magister.” Daichi growls, tactically pushing Suga behind him, away from the man’s grasp. _Daichi, that’s nice of you, but I could handle it myself._

Verre clicks his tongue, disdain back on his face. “Southerns are as ill-mannered as I thought.” he turns his back to them, moving toward the wagon, where Mori and the slaves are waiting for him. “If you ever wish to enjoy some real freedom, pet mage, then ask for Gaius Verre, and I’ll try to help you.” he says.

“Freedom, he says, slaves in tow.” Suga mutters, perplexed by the man interest in him. Suga can tell mages from normal people, but maybe in Tevinter they had a way to do it? He is curious about exactly what research could accomplish without the Chantry’s control. 

“Suga are you all right? Did he do something? Like blood magic or something? You can’t trust these Magisters-” Suga puts an hand on Daichi’s shoulder, trying to calm his babbling.

“Don’t worry, he didn’t try to curse me or anything.” he assures Daichi, adding a smile to enforce the concept. Daichi nods slowly.

In the meantime, Verre has joined Mori, near the wagon. He glances at Takeda and Ukai, who are still sitting on the front seat of the wagon. The Magister points at them, turning to Mori. “I didn’t ask for an elf and a cripple. I have enough slave as it is.” 

“Say that to my face, you fuck-”

“Lord Ukai! Please, it’s just a misunderstanding.” Master Takeda puts an hand on the Commander’s face shutting him up. He was wise enough to know that you _don’t_  piss the foreigner mage.

“Lord Verre, they are part of the company I hired to accompany me.” Mori explains, nervously rubbing his hands together. Verre scoffs.

“Good. I would have felt offended if you’d gifted me with such lowly specimens otherwise.” He moves, taking the cover of the wagon in his hands. He pulls it with energy, unraveling the inside.

Suga raises his eyebrows. There are no luxury items inside the wagon, no paintings, not clothes, not forniture. 

“What the fuck?” he can hear Tanaka utter. Suga’s thinking the exact same thing.

There are barrels. He can count eight barrels, black, flat, not luxury-looking barrels. But the man seems like a child during Satinalia, as he orders his slaves to open one, since he wants to take a look at them. It takes a moment to Suga to realize that, probably, what’s inside the barrels is what is getting Verre excited.

Suga moves a bit, approaching the wagon, and so do his companions. The slaves take some clothes from their pockets, and tie them around their mouths and noses. Then they proceed to open the barrels.

The first cover falls to the ground, and the slave nods at the Magister. The man hops on the wagon, the move graceful. He moves an hand on the barrel, and immediately magic flames surround his arm, even if he hasn’t used his mana.

And Suga understands. 

It’s lyrium.

They have just helped smuggling lyrium.

“Holy shit.” he mutters, can’t helping the curse. Daichi curses under his breath as well, while the others just look perplexed. Suga’s pretty sure he needs to sit down, but he can’t, because he’s not sure he’ll be able to stand up again if he does. That explained why the Veil was always so thin.

There’s only one thing that the Chantry hates as much as apostates, and that thing is people smuggling lyrium. Lyrium is under strict control of the Chantry, and everyone who trades it without the Chantry’s consent is as good as dead.

Not to talk, he _dreads_  what that Magister might do with all that lyrium. 

“Close it, close it, we don’t want it to go to waste.” the Magister orders, then he turns to Mori.

“Very well, Mori, you were truthful to your part of the bargain, so I’ll be truthful to mine.” he motions to the two guards, who take off the person’s hood, revealing a young man. Mori lets out a sob, at his sight. The two guards free the boy, who immediately rushes to Mori. “Father!” he shouts.

“Thank the Maker- Nolan come here, boy.” he says, opening his arms. The two hugs, clinging to each other, Maker knows how much time passed since they saw each other.

But Suga - nor anyone else in the Karasuno company - can’t be relieved. If the boy was the payment, did that mean that they aren’t getting any money? Or would Mori give them his own money? Did he even have enough money to pay them? Were they even allowed to go free?

A rumble from behind them prevents him to know the answer to those questions.

“I told ya, serah. A group of people with a wagon.” is saying a man, that Suga recognizes to be one of the bandits from some days before. He’s talking to a heavily scarred dwarf, who displays a tattoo on his cheek. A casteless dwarf, it seems to be.

“Yeah, lad, I see. Take this sovereign and get out of my sight.” The dwarf shoves a money in the man’s hands. The bandit seems about to protest, but a glance from the dwarf has him run away.

The dwarf is followed by other dwarves that display the same tattoos, and also by an heterogeneous group made of Humans and Qunaris, each with the symbol of an iron wall on their armors. The tallest of them all is a Qunari with no horns.

“Mori, I told you not to screw with me, you nugshit-head.” the dwarf addresses Mori, who protectively shields his son.

“Carter, please, you have to understand-”

“Do I look like I’m going to allow you to talk?” that Carter guy says. “Do you think that the Carta gives a damn about whatever you have to say? I’m here to take back my lyrium and break your head. Nothing else.”

Suga looks at Daichi, who looks at him as well. Are they supposed to intervene or-

“I don’t give a damn about who stole from who.” Verre interrupts. “I’m going to take my lyrium and my new slaves and go.”

New slaves?

“I don’t give a damn about what you do with these people.” Carter says. “But if you think you can leave without paying for that lyrium, then I have news for you, Verre.”

“But I did pay!” Verre gestures toward the Mori’s son. Carter shrugs.

“Again, I don’t give a damn. Money or bye.” Carter says.

“Fine then.” Verre turns to his men. “Get that filth out of my sight. Kill anyone that won’t submit.”

“Bring me my lyrium! Kill anyone that stands in your way.” Carter barks. “You heard what that bandit said, you have your targets. Show me that I didn’t waste my money on you.”

The men wearing the Iron Wall symbol, about fifty of them, nods, each one of them unleashing their weapons. The Tevene men do the same, the mages preparing spells to unleash on them. The Magister shoves Ukai and Takeda off the wagon into the mud with a blast of energy, taking the reins of the horses.

“Daichi! What do we do?” Suga shouts, while Carter’s man approach them.

Daichi shakes his head, gaping. 

“Daichi!” Michimiya pressures him.

“Daichi say something!” Asahi screams, great axe in hand, not sure where to point it.

“Ser Daichi!” Nishinoya and Tanaka shout together, Carter’s men pretty much on them.

Suga takes him by shoulders, shaking him. “Daichi!”

Daichi finally snaps out of it. “You two! Take Ukai! Get out of here! Takeda, you go with them! Saeko, Michimiya, Ennoshita, protect them. We’ll watch your backs an try to regroup later!”

Everybody moves. Narita and Kinoshita each put one of Ukai’s arms around their necks, lifting him from the ground. Ennoshita starts shoot arrow in a defensive fire, immediately aided by Saeko. Michimiya cuts down a man that is approaching them. The groups starts to escape.

Most of Carter’s man clash with the Magister’s, trying to get after the wagon of lyrium that’s getting further and further away. Others, instead, attack directly what remains of Karasuno.

The hornless Qunari immediately aims at Asahi, slamming his greatsword at him. Nishinoya is quick to intercept it. 

Suga rises a barrier at them, hears something rushing behind him but doesn’t have the time to turn that he’s thrown in the mud. He rolls on his back, a man towering over him, blade falling on him. His instincts don’t kick in, and he stays frozen in the place.

The man is kicked off him by a greatsword’s hilt, followed by a rampaging Tanaka. He’s already bleeding from his forehead. “Ser Suga! Are you all right?” Tanaka asks, helping him get on his feet.

“Yeah, thank you for that!” Suga screams over the rain, that has gotten worse. He heals quickly Tanaka, as he runs into another enemy.

Suga creates a small fireball, shooting at two men that are surrounding Shimizu. The womans nods to thank him, then lunges at one of the dwarves, daggers in hands. 

“Suga! Barrier!” Daichi orders him, parring a blow from one of the Tevene warriors. Suga obeys, and realizes that he has spent already his last bit of mana.

_Damn, I got weakened by the sleepleesness_. Suga’s fingers fiddle with the flasks at his belt, and chugs a first bottle of lyrium. _Fuck, and by all that lyrium too_.

Suga casts another blessing to Asahi and Nishinoya, who are fighting the enormous Qunari. They seem to be struggling. Suga notices an archer pointing at Nishinoya’s head, and blasts a magic bolt at him, using his staff. It’s not powerful enough to kill him, but it’s annoying enough to have Suga gain the archer’s attention.

_Fuck._

* * *

 

Asahi slams again his great axe against the other Vashot, but he effortlessly pars it. He slams again, but the result doesn’t change.

Asahi’s growing more and more frustrated with each blow that doesn’t passes trough. The Vashot looks at him with cold eyes, unforgiving eyes. Can he feel Asahi’s fear? Can he see the way he’s struggling to even move his arms, fatigue slowing his movement, tying him down? Asahi thinks he does, because the other Vashot looks at him as if he was facing Thedas’ scum.

Nishinoya runs all around, now taking an hit for Asahi, now for Tanaka, now for Shimizu, now for Suga. All he does is moving right where the hit is going to be, taking it, then moving for another.

Asahi can’t help the growl that escapes him as he attacks again. The movement is sloppy, instinctive, dictated by exasperation. The other Vashot, once again, blocks it. But Asahi with his movement has left his right side open, and he feels something slice it.

He takes a few steps back, hissing in pain. He touches his side, which is bleeding. His medium armor has muffled the hit, but the wound is there without a doubt. Asahi rises his head, to see a man holding two daggers looking at him.

Asahi takes another step back, looking at the Vashot first, at the Human later. 

“Ser Asahi!” he hears Nishinoya call. The man his immediately before him, shield high. “I’m sorry, Suga was surrounded and I-”

“Watch out!” Asahi screams, as the Human leaps at Nishinoya. Noya is quick to block the daggers, and uses his sword to put some distance between himself the the man.

In that exact moment, the Vashot attacks Asahi. Asahi parries, weakly, his arms giving in under the strength of the hit, his side screaming in pain. Nishinoya curses, moving to block another attack aimed at Asahi. After blocking the attack, he leaves the opening for Asahi, who attacks, now from below. Even that blow, that has an impossible angle of trajectory, is parred without much effort.

“Shit-” Asahi curses, but is immediately forced to silence by the Human’s attack at his back. Once again, Nishinoya intercepts. Asahi hears both his companion and himself pant heavily.

“Where’s Suga?” Asahi asks, going in for another blow. When they are this tired the mage usually helps with a spell or two.

“Dunno, focus!” comes Nishinoya’s short and sharp reply.

The Human man attacks again, but he’s blocked by another pair of daggers. Shimizu kicks him in the shin, attracting his attention. She moves, luring him away from Asahi and Nishinoya - the man follows- right into Tanaka’s rage.

It’s just the Vashot once again, and Asahi attacks. And attacks. And attacks.

Only to be stopped again, and again, and again.

He stops in his movement.

_What’s the point_.

He’ll never get through, it is  obvious. He’s wasting his energy, he’s wasting Nishinoya’s energy, he’s wasting everyone’s energy.

_Why isn’t Daichi calling for a retreat._

He realizes that Daichi isn’t nowhere to be found. Neither is Suga.

_Please don’t be dead, please._

Is he supposed to give orders, since they aren’t around? Is he supposed to keep fighting even if they are going to die? Should he call for a retreat?

“Ser Asahi! An opening!” Nishinoya shouts, moving aside, to let Asahi step in.

Asahi doesn’t move. He’ll get blocked again. 

“Ser Asahi!” Nishinoya shouts again. Asahi just stands there.

The Vashot moves, and the way he’s moving, the way he swings the greatsword, Asahi knows he’s going all in, for the killing blow.

He should move, or parry, but does nothing. He’s tired of that fight, he’s tired of being not good enough. Nishinoya had been very wrong about him.

Asahi closes his eyes, expecting pain. But pain doesn’t come. He reopens his eyes, and the unthinkable happens.

Nishinoya blocks the blow, his legs give in under him, either the blow too heavy or his block not precise enough. Thing is, Nishinoya is on the ground, cursing, wiping mud and water from his face, trying to get up again.

The Vashot swings again, at Nishinoya.

* * *

 

Suga can’t tell how, when or why, but he and Daichi had been pushed away from the main fight.

He’s trying his best to support Daichi, who’s fending off five men. Suga can’t even tell if they are from Tevinter or are mercs, not with this rain, not with this tiredness. He can only twirl his staff, lyrium long gone, mana long finishes. 

Daichi’s about to collapse too. He can tell by how his shield his a little lower after each block, how his attacks are more to keep the enemies at bay than to damage.

What’s worse, Suga’s being haunted from the other side of the Veil. Attracted by the blood and desperation, they are trying to seduce Suga, distracting him even more from the battle, sucking even more energy from him.

So much so, he doesn’t see the man attacking him but at the last second. He parries with his stuff, but let out a shout of surprise. He hits the man in the head, knocking him to the ground.

“Great! The mage’s dead!” shouts victorious one of the men that’s attacking Daichi.

Suga turns, and despite the situation, he’s perplexed. He’s very much alive, so why would that man lie-

Daichi turns, forgetting the fight, preoccupied only with Suga’s well being. The man that has shouted smirks in the rain, and takes advantage of Daichi’s distraction.

Suga sees the blade cut Daichi from shoulder to hip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> 1) HOW LONG DID I WAIT TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER  
> 2) Mori wasn't supposed to have a son, he was supposed to be a greedy butt but then Nolan happened  
> 3) Ugh Verre, how dare you try to corrupt Suga  
> 4) If the Narrator was omniscient (and it's not), you'd know that Verre perceives mages and how powerful they are, and that's why he was interested in Suga  
> 5) Karasuno was caught between a rock and an hard place, and nobody knows what's going on  
> 6) CLIFFHANGERS  
> 7) Get ready for the angst, because there's a train incoming.  
> 8) Who expected the lyrium? Who expected the Carta? For, while I had planned the lyrium, the Carta just happened to be there. Also the Carta uses mercenaries because most of its members are afraid that they'll fly away to the sky if the go on the surface.   
> 9) AONE THE HORNLESS VASHOT   
> 10) Honestly he's just doing his job, Asahi, he doesn't hate you. It's like a psychological thing. He feels that Aone is looking at him with those thoughts, but it's actually just Asahi's unconscious (take Freud away from me)  
> 11) And once again, Daichi becomes Deadchi. And probably his son, Almostdeadnoya, is going to follow.  
> 12) Rain makes everything more dramatic.  
> Thank you all for reading!  
> Love you all  
> Ziba


	6. Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short for the sake of cliffhangers.

The Vashot’s greatsword swing at Nishinoya, and Asahi can’t really do anything to stop it. He’s slow, even if he wanted to place himself between the blade and his companion, he’d never make it in time. 

He can just yell a warning, an heads up. Nishinoya hears it, and curls behind his shield. The greatsword collides with the shield, a metallic clash following, filling the air.

“Ser Noya!” there’s a scream, and then another greatsword comes into the fight, attacking the enemy Vashot, who parries the blow even more easily than Asahi’s attacks. Tanaka swing at the man again, but he can’t make him take the tiniest step backwards. He taunts him, attacks with the pain he unleashes from his wounds,  but the enemy doesn’t seem to be bothered at all.

“Dammit!” Noya curses, over his breath, trying to get up, but he curses again in pain when he puts his weight on his right feet. “Fuck it! My ankle is-”

“Watch out!” Asahi shouts, when the Vashot charges again at Noya. Tanaka tries to stop him, their blades clash, but the Human is easily swept away by the larger opponent.

Noya tries to get up, to get to his friend, but the ankle once again gives in under him. “Come get me, you fucker!” Noya screams, when the Vashot approaches Tanaka for a killing blow. The mercenary turns his head towards Nishinoya, and then moves toward him. Noya grits his teeth, gripping the shield in his hands, ready to raise it at the better occasion.

The Vashot charges toward Noya. Tanaka tries to get at them but slips in the mud. Asahi takes a step forward, movements uncertain, not an attack, not a defense, just an awkward stumbling. The hornless warrior raises his greatsword, a parabola from above, ready to strike.

Just a second before the falling of the blade, the Vashot changes trajectory, the sword now from below, aimed at Asahi’s middle. Asahi can’t even tell how it happened, but he’s now about to face certain death. _What a stupid way to die_.

Asahi doesn’t even raise his sword, _why bother?_ , once again ready to be sliced in half. But once again, it’s Nishinoya who takes the blow for him. The man had thrown himself once again right where the sword would have hit, shield risen high, screaming with rage and pain.

“Ser Asahi!” Tanaka shouts, attacking one more time, and once again effortlessly stopped. “What do we do?”

“Asahi!” calls Nishinoya too, kneeling on the ground. “Please, stop that guy.”

Asahi looks at Nishinoya, who’s on the ground, at Tanaka, who’s attacking mindlessly, thinks about Suga and Daichi, who have gone missing. Why are those two asking him? He doesn’t know what they should do. He can’t attack, he can’t do anything more than Tanaka’s doing right now.

“I couldn’t find Sugawara nor Daichi.” Shimizu appears in a flash of daggers, which are just as well parried by the Vashot. “What should we do, Azumane?” she asks, a cold calm, as she throws herself once again at the man. She and Tanaka attack at the same time, and yet the enemy seems able to read all their movements just fine, parring.

“I-” Asahi looks at the two of them, fighting, at Nishinoya, trying to stand, and says the only sensible thing. “Retreat.”

“What?” Nishinoya looks at him with disbelief in his eyes. “What?!”

“Retreat, dammit! We’ll get slaughtered, he’s playing with us.” Asahi shouts. “Tanaka, get Nishinoya, Shimizu cover them.”

Tanaka and Shimizu don’t change their attack pattern, almost as if they didn’t hear him. Nishinoya, on the other hand, looks like someone who can’t believe what he’s hearing. “Dammit, would you guys move!” Asahi shouts, trying to get their attention. But Tanaka and Shimizu continue, Nishinoya is now standing, even if limping, features of his face distorted by pain. He rises his shield.

“Ser Asahi, I’m going for another block, just follow sui-”

Asahi realizes that as long as he’s there, none of them will leave. They will just keep blindly believing that he’ll attack, and maybe even strike. But he can’t attack, won’t attack, and doesn’t want them to get hurt - even more hurt - because he can’t do what he’s supposed to be good at.

Asahi sheaths his sword, calling for another retreat. Once again they don’t listen.

It’s a bet. If he’s right, he’ll have led them to safety. If he’s wrong, he’ll have left them to their destiny.

Asahi’s never been lucky, but it’s his only chance. So he turns, running away from the battle, hoping that Shimizu, Tanaka and Nishinoya will follow. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The blade slices Daichi from shoulder to hip, and Suga watches him fall to the ground, like a dead weight, blood pouring from the wound, red mixing with the water that keeps falling, unforgiving.

Suga explodes, or at least for a moment he thinks he does so. But it’s not him exploding, but a blast of energy that leaves his body, knocking away everyone near him and Daichi, consuming his last bit of mana. He falls to his knee, he’s exhausted, just about to pass out, but he crawls, crawls toward Daichi’s body - no, it’s still Daichi, he’s alive, he has to be.

When he reaches him, he immediately checks his breath, experience guiding his body when his blank mind can’t. He searches his pulse, and _it’s there_. His hands move on the wound. It’s long, takes all his chest, but doesn’t seem very deep, he could tell better if it weren’t for the rain. Suga takes the pocket knife attached to Daichi’s belt, and uses it to tear apart the armor, to gain a better access to the wound. His hands are shaking, he notices, but can’t do anything to make them stop. 

Does he even have enough mana to heal that wound? Unlikely. Why did he waste his last lyrium flask, why wouldn’t he conserve it for a moment like this.

He feels something touch his face, and, shocked, turns. Behind the rain and tears in his eyes, he sees Daichi’s face, awake, weakly smiling at him, an hand on the mage’s face.

“You are fine...” Daichi whispers. Suga bites down a sob, and smiles at him.

“Of course I’m fine, you idiot.” he takes the hand in his. “You fell for that trick like a damn newbie.”

Daichi laughs a little, despite the obvious pain. “Don’t tell anyone, or I’ll never hear the end of it.” 

Suga laughs as well, and it’s one of those laughs people make in order not to cry. “You are lucky I can’t smack you right now, or I’d totally would.”

Daichi’s smile stays on for a second, as he looks at Suga's face, but then it falls. “Suga, go.” 

“No way. I’m healing you and then we are getting away from here.” Suga shakes his head, fiercely, putting the knife down on the ground next to him. He hovers his hands on the wound, but nothing happens. He finds no mana to use, no way to access the Fade. Despair starts to fill his chest, as he frantically tries something he can use as an energy source.

“ _You might need my help.”_

Suga freezes, feeling the familiar sensation of a demon trying to lure him. He keeps it away, he tries to. In the same moment, the men he has knocked down start to regain consciousness, and from what Suga can see, they are pissed.

“Suga, just go, you need to go help Asahi and the others.” Daichi says, trying to sound confident. But he can’t fool Suga, Suga knows he’s in a lot of pain, and he most certainly knows that Daichi’s as scared as he is. He’s only human, after all.

“Not leaving.” Suga says between clenched lips. The men are on their feet, weapons in hands.

“ _I can help you get rid of them, and I can help you heal your man.”_

 _No, shit, shut up_.

The men get a little closer, smirks on their face.

“Suga-”

“I said no!”

Suga takes the knife, and gets on his feet. He points the knife at the men, who laugh at him. “What are you gonna do with that, exactly?” one of them mocks him.

“Suga!” Daichi calls, trying to sit up, but he falls on the ground again, doubled with pain and coughs. Suga grits his teeth, starting to pant, muscles stiff.

“ _Let me take a peek at the other side.”_

Suga glances at Daichi, who’s getting paler and paler. He looks at their attackers, who are getting closer and closer.

He rotates the knife in his hands, now pointing it on the ground. He makes it hover on his other forearm. The men stop, perplexed.

“ _Back off.”_ Suga growls, voice not sounding like his own. He takes a step forward, so that he stands before Daichi. 

“The hell is wrong with you?” one of the man utters.

“ _Back the fuck off, or I’m doing it.”_

Suga feels something grab his ankle, and it’s Daichi. “Suga, what are you-”

“ _If they don’t back off, I’m fucking doing it.”_ Suga growls. He’s shaking, he doesn’t want to do it, he wants them to be scared and to get away.

“Wait, he’s a mage, is he going to-”

“Who cares! Just get him!”

The men launch themselves at Suga. The knife shakes in Suga’s hands, he looks around, like a gated beast, trying to find another wait out, a way that isn't that one, a better way to get what he wants, a way that won't condemn him once and for all.

“Suga!” Daichi calls, a single word that’s trying to order him to run, to prevent him from losing himself.

Suga swallows, looks at the men approaching, more, nearer, nearer, almost on him. His hands shake, keep shaking. Suga wants to scream, to scare them away, anything to avoid what he’s about to do.

“ _So, Koushi, do you accept the gift that I offer?”_

Suga grits his teeth, and stabs his forearm with the knife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> 1) AAAH my fave scene is here, the one of Suga getting his blood magic. I wanted to make it intense, and I hope I succeeded!  
> 2) Asahi tries his best, he does.  
> 3) Nishinoya just wants Asahi to do his best. Also PROTECT HIM HE'S HURT  
> 4) TANAKA IS MY HERO OKAY  
> 5) Omg I feel so bad, because Aone looks like a monster but he is a sweet cinnamon roll. But that's what you get from internal pov, I suppose.  
> 6) I wanted to write a sheet of the armors/weapons the character use, but only if you are interested so let me know!  
> 7) I also wanted to write an AU of this AU where either Nishinoya or Daichi die. Once, again, let me know if you are interested (even though I'm already writing a Bokuaka for this AU with characters death, so ask at your own risk for angst)  
> 8) Someone protect Asahi  
> 9) The "do you offer the gift I offer you" is totally taken by the Circle quest in DAO, what Uldred says as he tries to posses mages  
> Should be all. Thank you for your support, btw! Writing this wouldn't be as fun without all you guys, and the friends I made along the way.  
> Love you all!!  
> Ziba


	7. Weakness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaack and once again with some angst (or so I hope).  
> If you have read the tags, you might have noticed a little addition. And I have just a thing to say: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> Thank you for reading!

The dagger digs in Suga’s flesh, blood dripping from the wound, but never reaching the ground. It surrounds the mage, creating a red and terrible aura of power around him. 

Suga rises his injured arm, pointing it at the man before him. He clenches his fist, and the man arrests, stopped in the movement by the control Suga has on his blood. Suga turns his wrist, the man turns as well, then Suga lets his fist fall, and the man falls to the ground, screaming in pain, as Suga drains him of energy to fuel his own.

The other men stop, locking terrified at their companion, then at Suga, then at the blood which encircles him. Suga warps the blood in the same fashion he has warped the Veil and Fade until now, and the blood mutates into a fire ball, that he shoots at them. The attack is much more powerful than all the other attacks Suga has ever done in his life, and breath catches in his throat.

_This is what being powerful means_ he thinks in awe, as he attacks once more using blood instead of mana. And yet, it’s like he’s watching himself move, he feels as if his body is moving of its own volition.

This is more obvious when he sends a bolt of lightning at one of the men, and then uses the blood pouring out of the injury he causes to make the people he’s attacking _suffer_. He’d never kill in a painful way, _but here he is_.

His muscles move, precise, each spell cast with a deadly exactitude, better than they have ever done when Suga was in control of them. The fight doesn’t last long, and he’s the last one standing.

Suga’s consciousness starts to panic, for his body his turning to Daichi, who’s laying down on the ground, once again senseless. 

“ _Need more power”_

Suga’s eye would have grown wide, if he was the one in control of his body. The damn demon’s attempting to take over his body, but probably Suga’s energy hadn’t been enough for him to pull through completely from the Fade. He’s using Suga’s life force, the one from the men he had killed, to try and engulf Suga’s consciousness, and now it wants to use Daichi’s as well.

Suga feels like he’s getting smaller. He’s slipping away, he can’t see exactly what’s going on, backed in a corner of his mind. He’s about to fall into darkness, he knows. He doesn’t have any strength left to fight the demon back. 

His injured arm rises above Daichi, ready to suck his life away to fuel its own.

Suga’s surrounded by darkness.

- _You know you love me.-_

- _Yeah, I do_.-

Suga bites at the darkness. He claws his way out of it.He might have committed a mistake, he has without a doubt, he has given in to despair, he has allowed a demon in knowing how wrong and unforgettable it is, but Maker damn his soul for the eternity if he’ll allow his mistakes and weaknesses to hurt those precious to him.

Suga’s body falls with a scream, as two creatures fight over it. its hands dig in its  skull, muscles twitching, sweat dripping from its brow, rain hitting its back as icy arrows. It keeps screaming, both inside and out.  
Suga’s consciousness attacks the demon of pride that is trying to kill him, to devour him. Suga has still a job to do, before falling prey to it, since he knows the beast will eventually have the better of him.

With a last shout, Suga’s mind fills Suga’s limbs, and he suddenly feels everything. He feels the sharp pain in his forearm, he feels the cold rain, the feels his body tremble, he feels the smell of blood and death, he hears his own name, muttered.

He turns his head, eyes bloodshot, face unrecognizable, twisted in a pained and tormented expression. Amid the falling water, he makes the shape of Daichi’s eyes, who are looking at him. In fear.

It hurt Suga, that fear, but he couldn’t blame Daichi. He had given in in being the monster he had the potential to become. Just as the Chantry had always told him, just like the whole world has always accused mages.  
Suga crawls at Daichi, not sure if he’s crying, the tears getting mixed with the rain. 

“Suga, what did you-”

“Shut up, you are in no shape to talk.” Suga snaps, kneeling beside him, hands hovering over Daichi’s wound. Suga could use his own blood to heal Daichi. He will, actually, even if it takes all his blood, even if it takes his life.

He start casting the healing spell, pushing all his thoughts away, about how _indecent_  it is for him to use blood magic to heal, but he immediately realizes that something is different. His hands don’t assume the usual reassuring blue aura. Daichi starts to cry out of agony, convulsing under Suga’s hands.

Suga immediately stops the spell, and rushes to Daichi’s head.

“Daichi? Daichi are you all right?”

“Don’t... do that... again.” Daichi says, panting, his voice pained. Suga clenches his fist around his robe, looking  at the wound, still bleeding. It’s a miracle that Daichi has yet to die of blood-loss, but he doesn’t have much more time, and Suga can’t waste that little time.

His hands are clumsy, as he undoes the belt around his waist.

“Suga-”

“Shut up, you are not going to die, even if we have to go through this.” Suga barks, and shoves the belt between Daichi’s teeth. Daichi looks at him with surprised eyes, his face inquiring.

Suga starts to cast again, taking the energy from his own blood, and from the one of the men he has killed, to make sure he had enough power. Daichi starts to scream again, an excruciating howl that hurts Suga more than any blade could, but he doesn’t take his hands away, doesn’t stop the spell, for his cursed magic is healing better than his usual magic as ever done, tissues wrapping together, flesh regenerating from the blood, new muscles forming where the cut ones had been injured.

“I’m sorry, Daichi, I’m so sorry” Suga chants, biting the inside of his cheek to prevent from breaking down, the pain keeping him sharp. Daichi’s screams diminish minute after minute, eventually stopping. That alarms Suga for a second, but then he realizes that Daichi has just passed out, which is a blessing, since it spares him a lot of pain.

Suga’s back is aching, after Maker knows how long he’s been casting and weakening himself, but he’s done. The wounds is closed. There’s a nasty scar on Daichi’s chest - nastier than all the scars that Suga’s healing had ever produced - but it looked like it didn’t need any other treatment. Daichi now just needs some good sleep and feeding, to get back to his feet.

Suga, on the other hand, feels like he’s dying. His head is fuzzy, he can’t feel his arms, and he feels like he’s about to pass out. He feels like that day when, while fleeing Templars, a step from death’s door, he had met Daichi in a forest.  
There was only a difference, from back then and today: the day he had met Daichi, he still had a will to live on, to get his life back. Now, he just wishes he could sleep forever, that he could go on living without the gnawing feeling of something trying to get your mind and body and soul.

Suga falls on his side, exhaust. He sees Daichi’s face, from were he’s lying. It’s pale, the belt still in his teeth. He takes it away, not wishing for Daichi to choke on it while asleep. Then allows his hand to rest on his cheek, and feels relieved that it’s somehow warm, and not dead cold as he thought it would have been. He can’t help the content sigh that escaped his lips. _I might be a monster, but at least I managed to save him_.

Suga follows in the unconsciousness, realizing that, once again, he’s not free.

* * *

 

“There are more shem’len here. Two of them seem alive.”

“Gods, they pop up like mushrooms. Just kill them.”

“Why is ‘just kill them’ always your solution when dealing with shem’len?”

“Because we should kill them.”

“Maybe we should have let Kageyama become the clan’s First.”

“Why are you always so mean, Iwa’len?”

Suga opens his eyes, a bright sun hurting them. He shuts them, and reopens them more carefully. Standing before them, are two elves, Dalish, if the tattoos are any indications. One of them carries a staff, while the other carries a greatsword. He sits down in surprise, recognizing that greatsword as Tanaka’s.

“You’d better not make any fun move, shem’len.” The one holding the greatsword says, tone demanding but not harsh.

The other kneels down near Suga, smiling sweetly at him. “You’d better listen to Iwa’len. You really don’t want him to get on his bad side.”

“Why don’t you follow your own advise, Oikawa?” the other says.

Suga looks up to the sky, not sure if he has to thank it or curse it. Being found by two Dalish seems like the better way to get their situation worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> 1) I feel like trying to heal someone using blood magic is a messy business, since it doesn't have that whole "healing aura" around it. It mostly would be screaming and pain, since it's not the "natural" use of blood magic.  
> 2) Remember that seemingly pointless scene some chapters ago, with Suga and Daichi together on the bad, thinking about whether or not they should have gone to Tevinter? How Suga's pov ended with the sentence "You know you love me"? Well, it was cut, but then Daichi said "Yeah I do", making that thing I wrote in the chapter actually a memory of Daichi sort of confessing to Suga (not that anything had happened, nor did Suga understand that Daichi was being serious)  
> 3) Daichi won't be pleased with Suga getting blood magic, but neither is Suga  
> 4) Also, remember Runaway finale? How Suga was so happy to be free? Well, now Suga's not free anymore, condemned to be a slave of the demon (it will be better addressed in future chapters tho)  
> 5) OIKAWA AND IWAIZUMI MAKE THEIR ENTRANCE, AND THEY ARE DALISH HAD THIS IDEA OUT OF NOWHERE  
> 6) You can't tell me that Iwa'len= Iwa-chan isn't a genius move  
> Love you all!  
> Ziba


	8. Blindfold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had the insane idea of drinking coffee at midnight, so I couldn't sleep, and managed to finish this chapter ;D  
> Tears and, well, more tears.  
> Sorry for the wait, hope you enjoy :D

The elf is looking Suga right in the eyes, examining him. Suga unconsciously moved to shield Daichi’s still form, danger ringing in his ears, trying to understand what was going on.  
“So, you must have taken part to that slaughter of yesterday.” the elven mage, Oikawa was the name? said, voice feigning playfulness. Suga knits his eyebrows together, not moving.  
 _“Just kill them_.”  
Now he grits his teeth at that thought, not his own. The demon is still biting in the back of his mind, whispering ill-advises on how to manage the situation. And much to Suga’s distress, the demon isn’t calling at him from the Fade, hoping to have him break through. Nope, the demon has already broken through, now it just wants to take over. Like a parasite.  
Suga just nods, and points with his chin at the sword on the back of the shorter but sturdier elf. “That sword, it belongs to one of my companions. May I ask where you took it from?”  
“I-” the elf starts to answer, but the other one raises and hand, stopping him.  
“We ask the questions, here.”  
“Shittykawa, stop being an ass.” the elf approaches Suga, bending down to his knees. “I’m Iwaizumi, he’s Oikawa. We found some humans, a couple of elves and a Qunari around here. They told us that there were some more people around that they were searching. Might that be you?”  
“You are too friendly with shem’lens, Iwa’len.” Oikawa scoffs, flipping his hair back.   
“I think so. I’m Suga. He’s-” he turns to Daichi, feeling a jab in his chest. “-he’s Daichi. He needs to be moved from the ground. Please, could you help us?” Suga begs, getting on his feet. The sudden motion leaves him light-headed, and he almost falls again, but Oikawa catches him.  
The elf clicks his tongue. “Now, now, these shem’len can’t even stand on their own two feet without our help.” He sighs exaggeratedly. “But since we Dalish are much more generous than you round-ears deserve, we shall help you. We did allow your companions in our camp, after all.”  
Suga thanks him profusely, smiling a weak but heart-felt smile. “Are they all right? Are they injured?”  
Oikawa shrugs. “I didn’t really check, I left them to my Second’s care. I left the moment a short but lively guy and a baldy started shouting for their Captain and vice-captain.”  
Suga sighs. “That sounds like Nishinoya and Tanaka. That sword belongs to Tanaka, by the way.”  
“We just found it further away.” Iwaizumi points vaguely in the distance. “I’ll make sure to give it back to him.”  
Suga nods thankful, then he turns to Daichi. “Would you help me carry him? I’m afraid I’d drop him if I’d do it on my own.”   
Iwaizumi looks at Oikawa, who taps his chin with his index finger. “Iwa’len, I think you should be able to carry him on your back. _But_ , shem’len dear, I can’t just allow you two to get in my camp without any precaution, right? You might be bullshitting me right now.” he takes a rope from a sack attached to his belt, and wiggles it under Suga’s nose. “Please, turn around.”  
“Oikawa, I don’t think that it will be necessary.” Iwaizumi says, shifting the sword from his back to his chest, and starting to load Daichi onto his back.  
“Iwa’len, Iwa’len, you are being too naive. How do they say, better safe than sorry?” he once again moves the rope, and Suga turns with a sigh. He feels swift cold hands around his wrist, and eventually the rough texture of the cord around them. With a last tug, the elf chirps happily.  
“There! Now we should be fine.”  
Suga turns, and sees Oikawa giving him a smug smile. Animosity starts to build up in his chest at that sight. “ _Don’t you want him to bathe in his own blood?”_  
Suga blinks, the thought takes form in his mind with his own voice, just a little twisted. He shivers, shutting it down. The elf misunderstand his trembling, though, since he jokes saying that they weren’t planning on killing them or eating them. Suga laughs it off nervously, afraid that if he opens his mouth the demon will pour out of it.  
Oikawa opens the way, followed by Iwaizumi with Daichi and Suga. The elf moves elegantly, almost regally, through the forest, probably knowing it like the palm of his hand. The way he from time to time turns his head to give a look at them, though, betrays that the behavior is not as natural as it might seem to be, but mostly likely meant to intimidate - or leave in awe- Suga.  
Too bad that Suga doesn’t have the will or energy to mind the elf. He just looks at the road before him, to avoid tripping in roots or his own feet, and steals glances to Daichi from time to time, to check if he’s still unconscious, and most importantly if he’s still breathing. The wound might be closed, but he doubts he has recovered from the blood loss.  


He doesn’t see a root, and trips, face flat in the mud. Or he hopes it’s mud. He hears a barely concealed laugh and a most open one - those elves are getting to his nerves.

* * *

 

The tight ropes are biting at Asahi’s flesh, his side keeps aching, since it has not been healed yet, he’s been tied to a pole and has been blindfolded. 

After he had started running, he had hoped that Tanaka, Shimizu and Nishinoya had started following him. He had ran for a little while, before turning, and thanked all possible deities when he had seen them following. Shimizu had been trailing just behind Tanaka and Nishinoya, the latter limping and leaning on the former, both of them cursing loudly at no one in particular. Asah had stopped, gesturing widely for them to move fast. He had risen his eyes to the horizon, and had seen the other Vashot standing high under the rain, victorious against him. Asahi had felt like screaming in frustration, but he bit the feeling down, trying to focus on getting his companion to safety - maybe he would have been able to do that.  
He let them ran past him, and he moved to the rear guard, Shimizu on the vanguard, in order to cover their retreat at the best of their abilities.  
Their little group had kept running, on and on, and even the rain had stopped falling, when they stopped. It hadn’t be anybody’s choices. At a certain point, Tanaka had started running more and more slowly, until he had fall on his fours. Nishinoya had started yelling at him, dead worried. Shimizu had turned, and got to them. Asahi had jogged to them as well, kneeling to see what was the problem.  
Tanaka had a huge stain of blood on his armor, at the height of the hip. “Sorry, guys, I realizes just now I’m hurt.”  
“Dammit, Ryuu!” Noya shouts at him, anger due to worry. “You should have told us sooner.”  
“I told you I realized just now. You know I don’t really feel pain.” Tanaka said, expression betraying guilt. “You go on, I’ll be-”  
“Cut the crap. We are getting all together out of this.” Noya said, with decision, then he had turned to Asahi, and Asahi had felt like he was about to die under his gaze.”Could you carry him?”  
“Wait, I don-”  
“Ryuu, shut up for a second, will ya.”   
“But you are hurt too-”  
“I can lean on lady Shimizu, right?”  
“What? Why you get to lean on her while I have to get carried by ser Asahi. I want to switch.”  
“Because you are too big for her. That one moment where my size comes to handy.”  
“I have yet to agree, though.” Shimizu had interrupted them, flicking them both in the foreheads. Despite the situation, they had seemed quite happy with themselves, and Asahi had looked at them scandalized.   
They were about to argue some more, when a voice had attracted their attention.  
“Guys! Guys!” they had turned, to see Ennoshita and Michimiya run after them. Nishinoya had waved at them, smiling.  
“Hey! We are here!” he shouted, and the woman and the elf reached them.   
“I’m so glad we found you.” Ennoshita breaths, painting. Then his eyes go wide seeing Tanaka’s wound. “Tanaka, what in the Maker-”  
Tanaka waves it off with a forced smirk. “It’s just a scratch, it looks worse than it is.”  
“It does look pretty bad to me!” Ennoshita had started scolding him, but Michimiya had put an hand on his shoulder, getting him to calm down.   
“Calm down. All we have to do is getting Suga have a look at him.” she had said with a reassuring smile.  
Asahi took a step forward, but Noya talked for him. “Are Suga and Daichi with you?” he had asked, hopeful. Michimiya eyes had went wide, while Ennoshita had looked worried.  
“Wait, you mean they aren’t with you?” He asked, and his voice had betrayed worry. Noya had clenched his fist, shaken his head.   
There had been a moment of silence, everyone thinking about the same thing, the same scenario playing in everybody’s head. Michimiya had then talked. “Hey, let’s not get all negative, all right? They are surely some where around here. Let’s get to Ukai and the others - we left them in a clearing not far from here- and then we’ll start searching for them.”  
“Michimiya’s right.” Ennoshita had forced a smile. “We need to stay positive.”  
Asahi nodded, trying to follow the suggestion. Suga would have smacked him if he had seen him all doom and gloomy. But Suga wasn’t there, he immediately thought. He might have been injured, bleeding, somewhere, maybe still fighting, or worse, he might have been dea-  
A sack was lowered on Asahi’s head, managing to cover his horns as well, something hopping on his back and forcing him to the ground thanks to the sudden attack. He had tried to break free, but three or more people where on him, tying him and pinning him down. In the commotion, he heard someone shout his name, and more scuffling.  
His head had eventually been blocked between the ground and what he thought was safe to assume was a knee. He didn’t put up much of a fight, if he had to be honest, surprise making his body freeze.  
“Everybody, you’d better stop squirming if you want to get out of here alive.” an unknown voice had told them.   
“Yahaba, these two seem injured.” had said another voice.  
“Tie them all, make sure they can’t escape. We’ll bring them to camp and see what Oikawa wants to do with them.”

Asahi isn’t sure what had happened later. He remembers walking for a while, then probably being separated from the others, and finally being tied to the pole. He is glad that, at least, they had allowed him to sit down, even if his position is far from comfortable.  
Someone’s keeping an eye on him, he can hear some movement around him and some grunts, but whoever that is, they aren’t speaking. Asahi is even more freaked out at that, since he has absolutely no idea what’s going on. Who abducted them? Were the others safe?  
A sigh from his right side, and he jerks his head toward the source of the noise. “Do you have to _blindfold_ him? It’s not like he’s going to be less dangerous like that.”  
There’s only a grunt in response.  
“Well, whatever.”  
Asahi sighs, leaning his head against the pole.

* * *

 

The elven camp is huge, and in the midst of the forest. Suga starts to believe those rumors according to which the forests move to allow the Dalish to camp in them.  
The huge wagon-boats are all around the camp, like a protective fence. He hears cheerful childish laugh come from the inside, many voices talking at once, some of them speaking an unknown language. Normally, Suga would have been filled with curiosity and awe, but right now all he feels is anger and frustration. Anger at all the faces that he sees and that he doesn’t recognize, frustration at the ropes that don’t allow him, to wonder and search for his friends, and at his body which couldn’t even carry the person he cherishes the most.  
“Oikawa!” a young elf - truth be told most elves looked young - approaches them. “We managed for the shem’len to be put in another and guarded camp, as you said.”  
“Ma serannas, Watari.” Oikawa says with another cheeky smile. Iwaizumi sighs at him, rolling his eyes. Oikawa looks at him, with an offended pout.  
“You are always so mean.”  
“I didn’t say anything.”  
“You thought something mean, I can tell.”  
“Shut up.”  
“See? Mean.”  
Iwaizumi once again sighs. Suga does as well. He truly isn’t in the mood to hear other people’s bickering.  
He’s lead to a smaller camp, controlled by several elven warriors. There are some tents, probably left-overs, judging by the holes in them.  
In the middle of it, are Ennoshita, Michimiya, Takeda, Ukai, Shimizu, Narita and Kinoshita. Suga’s heart loses a beat when he doesn’t see any of the Tanakas, Asahi nor Nishinoya. He already thinks the worse, and needs a moment to recover from those thoughts.  
“Suga! Suga you are all right!” Michimiya says, but her relieved expression changes at Daichi’s sight. She presses her hands on her mouth. “Oh Maker.”  
“Daichi’s fine.” Suga is quick to say, before panic starts to spread. “Or at least he will be. He needs some sleep.”  
One of the elves that’s looking over his companion approaches Suga, gesturing toward one of the tents. “That one is empty, if you wish to put him to rest.” he says politely.   
“Makki, help Iwa’len. That shem’len looks heavy.” Oikawa orders. Iwaizumi shrugs.   
“It’s all right.” and gets into the tent, followed by Oikawa. Makki gets back to his place, near another dark haired elf. Suga’s about to follow, but first he has to ask about the others. He inquires about the missing companions whereabouts, and learns that Tanaka’s being healed in one of the tents by one of the Dalish mages, and that Saeko and Nishinoya are watching over him. They don’t know about Asahi, instead, since he has been separated from the group when they had been brought to camp.  
“These elves have blinded us and dragged us here” Ukai explains “but they also gave us food and are helping with the injured.”  
“They are probably wary of us” Takeda continues. “but at the same time realize that we are in no shape to harm them.”  
“Not that we would.” Ennoshita is quick to add, looking around him. The elves look at him with a strange look, the same they give Shimizu. Suga has read that Dalish elves don’t see it eye to eye with city elves. That must happen when you think of yourself as the only rightful member of your race.  
Suga sums up what happened to him and Daichi, but leaves out the bit about blood magic. For the moment, he prefers to keep it for himself.  
Oikawa and Iwaizumi leave the tent, and join them.  
“So, now that we are all here, and nobody is about to die, what about some introductions?” Oikawa says, clapping his hands together.  


* * *

 

The Dalish allow the group to stay, without supervision, as long as they promise to live once all their members are able to move. Ukai promises as much, a vein pulsing on his forehead after an hour of negotiation with Oikawa. The elves leave them alone, after that, promising to return with some food during evening.   
Suga doesn’t partecipate to the negotiation. He goes inside the tent where Tanaka’s being healed, and is almost assaulted by him and Nishinoya.  
“Ser Suga!” Nishinoya cries out of joy, engulfing him in a bone-crushing hug. Tanaka’s about to the same, but the elf who’s healing him pushes him down. Saeko greets him as well, just as warmly as the other two.  
“I’m so happy you are fine ser Suga!” Tanaka says, and actually breaks down in sobs. Nishinoya’s quick to pat his shoulder, biting back tears of his own. Despite it all, Suga smiles at them, over-joyed that they are well. Not seeing them had scared him more than he’d like to admit.  
“Please could you be the one to heal me?” Tanaka asks, using the piece of cloth that his sister gives him with a roll of eyes. “This guy isn’t as good as you are.”  
The elf assumes a much offended expression, and stops his casting. Before Suga can do anything to soothe the situation, Nishinoya rubs salt on the wound as well. “Yeah, ser Suga! He healed my ankle, but it still stings. Your healing never stings.”  
They might as well have punched Suga’s in the guts. His head is filled with Daichi’s pained screams, and realizes that he won’t be able to heal anyone again, ever, in his life. He can’t, he won’t, and doesn’t want to, not if there’s the risk of _that_  happening again. But he can’t tell them, right now, that he has no more healing skills. That his healing has turned into a torture method. He just says to not be ungrateful to - “Yahaba. My name is Yahaba and I won’t stay where I’m not needed - the elf, and Suga’s quick to try and convince him to end the healing. After a quite long persuasion session, with promises of showing the elf some of the “shem’len magic” - promise Suga has no intention to fulfill, seen the latest problems he had with casting - he leaves the Tanakas in the tents, while he moves to go and get Asahi from wherever he is. He doesn’t even ask Nishinoya if he wants to come with him, he assumes that the younger man would be more than happy to go and get the Vashot, but once Noya understands where Suga’s going, he stops, and makes up an excuse not to follow him.  
Suga stands confused. The end must be near. He has resolved to blood magic, Daichi’s passed out in a tent, they have been rescued by a Dalish clan, Tanaka breaks down in tears, and Noya doesn’t want to get to Asahi. All he needs is now Shimizu to start dancing some Antivan dance and he would be sure of the doom.  
He finds Asahi, alone, tied to a pole. Iwaizumi had told him that they had “secured him” to avoid having problem. He had not mentioned that “securing” involved a rope and a blind fold. He sighs, and approaches Asahi.  
“Asahi, it’s me.” he says, softly, not scare him. The Vashot’s head jerks toward him, still unable to see.  
“Suga?” he says, uncertainty in his voice. Suga takes off the cloth, and Asahi blinks for a moment to get adjusted to the light. “Suga, it’s you! You are alive.”  
Suga gives him a tired and patient smile. “Yes, I am. Let us get rid of this ropes, shall we.” He moves behind the pole, and unties the knots, struggling for how thigh they were, but finally manages to free Asahi.  
“There you go-” he can’t finish his sentence, for the Vashot has covered him in a bear hug, and his sobbing in his shoulder. Suga sighs, smiling at him, even if Asahi can’t see him, and starts rubbing his friend’s back.  
“There, let go.” Suga mutters, in a soothing tone. “It’s all right, we are all right.”  
Asahi chokes something else, a question, and Suga makes out Daichi’s name. “Daichi’s alive as well. He’s in a tent, resting.” Suga doesn’t have the heart to tell Asahi right away what happened, ,even if he knows that he’ll have to. “I want to check on him. Want to come?” Asahi nods, using his forearms to dry his tears.  
“Yeah” he manages to say, voice still full of crying. “But I can’t let him see me like this, or I’ll never hear the end of it.”  
Suga feels a pang in his heart. “Asahi...” he has to tell him. “Daichi’s not awake. He was injured badly.” Asahi’s partially relieved expression turns into one of terror, and Suga is fast to add “I healed him” that sentence feels so bitter in his mouth “but he has yet to wake.”  
Suga leads Asahi through the camp, towards Daichi’s tent. Suga has yet to see how he was arranged, and feels guilty at it -but someone has to check on the others too, and since Daichi can’t it falls on Suga’s lap to do so. The pair passes near the others. Michimiya and Shimizu are attending at each other little wounds, Ukai is talking with Takeda about Maker knows, Ennoshita, Narita and Kinoshita are getting what remains of their weapons in a decent state. Nishinoya is on his own, sitting under a tree, separated from the rest. He has a thoughtful expression, almost sulking, hands in his hair, eyes lost in whatever he’s thinking. It might have been the first time Suga has seen him in that conditions. From what he has understood, Nishinoya took a bad hit during their fight, but that hadn’t been the first time.  
He turns to Asahi, to ask his opinion, but sees that Asahi’s staring at him as well, guilty expression of his own, lips pressed in a thin line, and he breaks the contact with the human figure, fixating his gaze on the ground. Suga at that point decides that he’d better not pry, and gestures to Asahi to follow him.  
They enter the badly lit tent. There are different bedrolls, and in one of them there’s a sleeping figure. Suga doesn’t wait for Asahi, and sit next to Daichi, on the ground. Daichi’s on his back, thankfully. He has yet to recover the color on his face, Suga notices.  
Asahi sits on the other side of the bedroll, shaking his head.  
“What happened?”  
Suga sighs, passes an hand through his hair, while the other automatically goes to Daichi’s throat, checking the pulse. “We got separated from you.” his hand moves from the throat to the cheek, and it brushes the jaw, a small gesture he doesn’t even register. “We got outnumbered. Daichi took a hit for me, more or less. I killed the men, healed him, and then passed out. Oikawa and Iwaizumi found us and brought us to camp.”  
Asahi tilts his head. “How did you manage all that? Weren’t you tired?” his question is innocent, but it makes Suga’s mouth go dry.  
“I-” he looks at his own forearm, who has been bandaged, and the bandage covers the self-inflicted wound. Suga can’t voice what he has done, and that alarms Asahi, who calls his friend’s name. Suga looks at him, smiling to reassure him, tears threatening to spill. He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out of it, and he covers it with the other hand, pressing the palm to his lips. He can’t say it. He can’t. If he says it, it’s true, and Asahi and all the others will run away from him.  
“Suga, please, what happened?” Asahi begs him, and scoots near Suga.  
“Blood magic.” he chokes out, without elaborating. He bites his lower lips, which is trembling, his hands quivering as well. He folds them in his lap.  
Asahi looks at him, confused at first, his brain not catching what he’s trying to say. He’s about to ask Suga to explain what he means, but then his eyes grow wide, he glances at the bandage, and he puts the pieces together.   
The look on Asahi’s face is enough for Suga. He covers his face in shame with his hands, trying to suppress sobs, barely but succeeding. He hears motion around him, and realizes that Asahi has left.   
That abandonment is the final straw which breaks Suga’s heart. He doesn’t even cry. The tears from before are drained, and so his everything in his heart and mind. If even Asahi left because of what he has done, then there’s truly no turning back.  
He feels a grip on his knee, and turns.   
Daichi’s looking at him, un unreadible expression on his face. 

Suga can’t tell what he’s thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> 1) I tried another format for this chapter, let me know what you think of it  
> 2) I should probably stop writing the drafts on Tumblr since all paragraphs that look several lines long end up being actually super short  
> 3) Remember when Daichi asked Suga if he was a blood mage because he always knew what he was thinking? Well, Irony wants that right now Suga's actually a blood mage and can't tell what's going on in Daichi's mind  
> 4) Protect Asahi  
> 5) But also Noya  
> 6) AND TANAKA  
> 7) Too many characters  
> 8) I live for little gestures of fondness (like Suga caressing that jaw), or for huge expression of affection between friends (Noya and Asahi hugging Suga out of happiness, Tanaka starting crying and so on). GESTURES  
> 9) I had found the perfect song for this fic, but I can't remember it anymore  
> 10) I also had prepared sheet of all the armors they are wearing but closed the file without saving (LMAO). Maybe I'm gonna re do it, for now just now that Suga's wearing chasing robes (THE ONE WITH FEATHERS)  
> I think it's all.  
> Love you all, thanks for reading!  
> Ziba


	10. Listen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaah I'm finally out my sort of writer block :D Sorry for the waiting guys.  
> This was probably the hardest chapter to write (Special thanks for @tsucchi for helping me through :D).  
> Hope you'll enjoy.
> 
> Also, I recommend, if you feel like crying, listening to "Time of Dying" by Three Days Grace.   
> Thank you for reading and for your patience!

_Blood Magic_.

Asahi looks at Suga, and doesn’t understand. It’s just for a moment, that those words bounce in his mind, trying to settle down, to be understood. It does take a moment, but then they finally do, and he can’t breath.  
He looks down at Suga’s bandaged arm, at how emaciated he has looked since they met again, and how pale he is, how is eyes lack of something.

_Suga has turned to Blood Magic_.

Asahi gasps for air, doesn’t find any, gets up, and leaves the tent, unable to look at Suga, nor at Daichi, nor at any of their companions. He can’t, and even if he could he wouldn’t. Why should he.   
He turns away from the questioning glances of Ennoshita and Michimiya, turns again when he meets Shimizu’s worried eyes, and definitely cannot even watch in the face of Nishinoya.  
He flees the camp, moving toward the edge of the little camp, gaping for air.

_Suga has turned to Blood Magic and it must be my fault_.

Asahi needs the feel to punch something, and this need punches him as well, since he has never experienced such a violent feeling.   
Scenarios start to fill his mind. If he had stayed closer to his friends, he would have managed to protect them - _when did you even protect anything._ If he had been better at attacking, maybe he’d have won against that other Vashot, - _please, stop with this delusion, you can’t really win against someone that powerful_ - and he would have done so fast enough to rescue Suga and Daichi - _you need rescuing, what makes you think you can save someone_.

Asahi grits his teeth, clenching his fists at his side. He knows he’s not enough, not enough for the group, for the mercenary band. It hurts his pride - _you have pride?_ \- but what hurts more is that he got people injured because of that powerlessness. And they had been lucky, because nobody had _died_. If someone had died back in that damn battle field whose fault would have it been, if not Asahi’s? He’s supposed to pull the team through, he’s supposed to do so when Daichi, their leader, is around, let alone when he’s not. How is it that Nishinoya and Tanaka call him? Ser? As in knight? What a good knight he had been! The only thing he has managed to do is to run away _hoping_  for his companions to follow him. Yeah, because they wouldn’t even listen to him, when had told them to stop, to run away. And why would they have listened to him? He is no one, right? 

And yet, there’s something that makes Asahi more frustrated and angry than that feeling of helplessness, that certainty that he couldn’t have done anything else, because that would have been being better than what he actually is. He did his best, which wasn’t enough. And nobody is calling him out on that. Nobody is telling him that he should have tried harder, that he should have been better, nobody is yelling at him to just leave the company, since he was so useless. It was irrational, stupid even, but not being the objective of anyone’s anger made him even more furious and frustrated. He has seen the others’ faces, and he has seen that they look like they have been whipping themselves for what happened. But it wasn’t really their fault. They had tried their best. Asahi, on the other hand-

“Azumane?”

He turns, snarling -actually snarling- and sees Nishinoya, Tanaka, Ennoshita and Michimiya staring at them, and are they scared? Are they scared of whatever monster-like expression he’s wearing? No, they are not, they look worried, maybe, concerned, or maybe- maybe something else, like-

“Azumane, are you all right?” Ennoshita keeps talking, taking a step back. Asahi hisses, turning his head to the ground. 

“Come one, ser Asahi!” Nishinoya pushes Ennoshita aside, approaching Asahi, and Asahi takes a step back, unconsciously. Nishinoya doesn’t notice - pretends he doesn’t notice - and points at him. “What’s wrong? Did ser Suga tell you something that-”

“Why?” Asahi breathes, looking Nishinoya right in his eyes. “Why aren’t you yelling at me?”

Nishinoya’s eyes go wide for a second, but his expression quickly turns into a frown, jaw clenched. “Well, I’m not used to yelling at people when I myself made mistakes.”

“Mistakes? You made no mistakes.” _The only mistake you made was to trust that I’d get those hits_.

Nishinoya, again, looks at him, mouth gaping, and Asahi realizes that he has said the last bit out loud. Once again, Nishinoya glares angrily at him. He steps forward, Asahi manages to not draw back, fighting the intimidation he feels while looking at the fierce human. He’s fuming too much, though, to give in to that feeling. 

“Of course I trusted you with attacking!” Nishinoya barks. “I can do little to no damage, so I trust others with dealing it!” Asahi feels a pang in the chest.

“Well, you decided to trust the wrong man.” Asahi mutters, and even though it is a low grumble, it echoes through the forest. “I wasn’t good enough.”

Before he can understand what’s going on, he feels strong hands tugging at his shirt, pushing him against the nearest tree, knocking the air out of his lungs, and a voice shouting right in his face. “That’s what you were telling yourself?” Nishinoya bellows. Tanaka and Ennoshita immediately lunge at him, trying to get him off Asahi, but Nishinoya has too much anger of his own to let them, so he shakes them off him, hardening his grip on the cloth of Asahi’s shirt. “That’s what you were thinking, when you chose not to attack? When you watched me getting hit _for nothing_?”

“You should have left when I told you, you all should have.” Asahi growls, almost not recognizing his own voice. 

“Not what I asked! You dared and gave up on that hit, right? Who gave you the right to do that?” Nishinoya went on, letting out his own frustration. “All I can do is getting battered around, you hear me? That and trusting you guys to do the rest. That’s it all! And what did you do! You gave up! Gave up on me!” Nishinoya shaves him in the tree again, and this time thanks also to the help of Michimiya, their companions successfully tear Nishinoya off Asahi.

Asahi’s lips are pressed in a thin line. He was right, then. They are angry at him. They just hadn’t said anything to him. He glances at Ennoshita and Tanaka and Michimiya. Michimiya is looking at the ground, a torn expression all over her face. Ennoshita and Tanaka are too busy trying to contain a rage-filled Nishinoya, but Asahi’s sure to read the discouragement in their eyes. 

Asahi pushes himself away from the tree, doesn’t turn again toward them, and leaves, flees, runs away, a dull pain in his chest, pain surrounded that something that almost scares him, for it isn’t supposed to be there.

It’s relief.

* * *

 

Suga lets out a pained breath, when Daichi’s eyes meet his own.

He has prayed to seem them again, has fought to see them again, but now that the moments has come, he fears them. And he realizes he should fear them. They are hard, made of steel, and he can’t see what’s behind them. He doesn’t see fondness, nor worry, nor anything even vaguely Daichi-like. He feels like being a prey being stalked by its predator.

Has Daichi heard his conversation with Asahi? Does he want to live like the Vashot did? Does he remember Suga stabbing his own flesh, to attain power from his blood? Does he - Suga shivers at the idea - remember the pain he has suffered from that cursed healing?

Daichi sits up, and flinches at what probably is a jolt of pain. Suga moves to touch him, hold him down, but he stops midway, not sure why he feels like he’s not supposed to touch Daichi.

Maybe he should leave Daichi alone, and go fetch Asahi. He can’t tell the others that Suga’s a blood mage now. It would be chaos. What if the Dalish heard that? What even is the Dalish’s view on Blood Magic?

Daichi inhales deeply, trying to steady his breath, and he’s looking straight before him, not anywhere near Suga’s direction. Suga aches when he notices it, but makes no comment about it. He just gives Daichi his time, preparing himself to the worst. When Daichi turns, Suga is not prepared.

“Daichi-”

“What have you done?”

Daichi is looking at him, his expression his stern, even his eyes don’t betray anything except disappointed. But his voice, his voice is hurt and trembling, soaked in fear and worry. Suga’s own voice doesn’t find its way out of his throat, so he just emits a sort of whine. Daichi sighs, burying his face in his hands.

“Suga, why? I thought you stronger than this.” 

Those words cut right through Suga’s heart. He bends a little forward, double bent on himself. “ _Look at him, being all alt and mighty. You should probably kill him, since he can’t appreciate what you do.”_

_Quiet_. Suga shouts in the back of his mind.

“I had no other choice.” Suga hisses between gritted teeth, fingers clutching his bandaged forearm, causing it to hurt. But Suga doesn’t care, not at the moment.

“That’s exactly what Maleficarum always say.” Daichi mutters. Suga raises to his feet.

“What was I supposed to do, Daichi?” Suga yells behind his breath, an hiss in the air. “I had no mana left, you were about to get killed-”

“You should have left when I told you.” Daichi says, not meeting his eyes once again. Suga bites his lower teeth.

“Would you?” Suga kneels down next to Daichi, face contorted in a painful expression. “Would you have left me there to die?” Daichi closes his eyes, and Suga doesn’t know if he feels like he has won or lost. Even though there’s nothing to win to start with. “What would have you done?” Suga whispers. He doesn’t dare to touch Daichi, and Daichi doesn’t dare to even peek at him.

“Not blood magic.” Daichi opens his eyes, staring at the other side of the tent, careful not to turn his head toward Suga. Which hurt Suga. Every time Daichi refuses to look at him, Suga feels small, a dirty thing that maybe should be thrown away. Even more than maybe. Daichi opens his mouth again, and what he says his barely audible. “It’s far too dangerous.”

Suga’s lips start to tremble, and he feels his eyes start to sting, but refuses to give in to any emotion. Not before him, as he’s hurting him. Maker, who would have thought the day would have come where Daichi would have actually hurt him. Suga clicks his tongue, and tries to hide the pain behind a cold façade. “Well, you don’t have to worry about me getting possessed or anything.” Suga stands up, brushing his robes, hoping that would have covered the quivering of his hands. “I’m going to leave. I don’t want to harm anyone with my _weakness_.” There’s far too much venom in his voice, and what’s worse is that it comes all from him, not from the demon. 

Daichi is not wrong. He should have been stronger. But not stronger as in “not using blood mage” strong. He should have been “not _need_  to use blood magic” strong. Should have had more mana to start with, should have seen what was about to come, should have been able to predict he would have needed more lyrium.

Suga turns on his heels, ready to flee, hoping not to meet anyone’s eyes, but a tug on his robes stops him. He spins, ready to break free from whatever is stopping him in his movements. Daichi is looking up to him, gritting his teeth, the wound probably throbbing with pain. 

Cursing himself, Suga actually lunges at him, catching him, and forcing him to lay down. “The wound isn’t going to open” Suga says, softly. “but you still need to stay still.”

“What do you mean you are leaving?” Daichi asks, he hasn’t heard Suga. “You can’t leave.”

Suga furrows his brow, and now he manages to have Daichi looking at him in the eyes. “You told it yourself, right? It’s dangerous. It has always been dangerous, having me around, and now the danger is even more concrete. I’ll not put anyone in danger-”

“For you.” Daichi grasps his shoulders with strength, with urgency, having him kneel down again. “It’s dangerous for you Suga.” Suga widens his eyes, and stares at Daichi, blankly. “What if you get possessed? There’s no cure for being an abomination. I- During Templar training they told us that the only way to deal with an abomination is to-” Daichi cups Suga’s face with his hands, basking in his sight. Suga blinks, then puts his own hands on Daichi’s.

“-is to kill it.” Suga finishes. All the anger that had piled up inside his chest’s gone, before Daichi’s concerned expression. Instead, he feels that his stomach has turned into a pit of guilt. “I understand, now. Daichi, you’ll not have to kill me, if worst comes to worst.” Suga moves his head, so that their foreheads are touching. It’s a quite intimate gesture, but Suga doesn’t mind, and since Daichi sighs and leans in the touch, Suga can imagine he doesn’t mind either. “I’m going to leave, all right? It’s going to be all right, if I’m not here.”

“If you leave, I think I’ll be the one to die.” 

It’s another whisper, but both Daichi’s deep voice and their closeness make each word clear to Suga. He moves away a little, to take a better look at Daichi, but Daichi leans forward, and steads his hold on Suga’s face.   
It’s just a brush of lips, a desperate gesture, not thought, instinctive, already over before it even begins, and Daichi is retreating, face hot, hands slowly falling in his lap, eyes expressing the will to come forth once again. Suga should probably ignore it, restate his intention to leave, and actually fleeing the tent. Instead, he grabs Daichi’s face as well, clashes their mouths together, and it’s a kiss both gentle and passionate, desperate but also sweet, worried and lovingly. It tastes of blood, and dirt, and tears, and Suga would have hoped for a much better situation for such a display- but maybe there wasn’t a better situation.

The mouths break apart, needing air, but the bodies stay close. Daichi buries his head in Suga’s neck crook, arms clinging onto him, not wanting to let go. One of Suga’s hands goes through Daichi’s hair, soothing it, while the other encircles him, and he hugs Daichi with as much strength he trusts to use - he doesn’t want to hurt Daichi after all.

“I thought you were about to die.” Suga’s voice tastes like tears. Daichi squeezes him.

“Sorry about that.” he speaks in Suga’s skin, sniffling. Suga can’t help the small laugh that escapes him, as sad as it is.

“ ‘Sorry about that’ he says, as if it was a little inconvenience.” Suga strokes his hair. Their position is a quite awkward and uncomfortable one, but neither moves from it.

“I mean it Suga. I’m sorry that you had to fight alone.” Daichi rises his head, pushing the crown of his hair under Suga’s jaw. His voice is breaking in a crescendo. “I’m sorry I said that I thought you were stronger. I’m sorry you had to use blood magic. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.” Suga opens his mouth to reply that Daichi’s speaking nonsense, but Daichi keep speaking, successfully impeding Suga from talking. “I’m sorry I’ll not be able to protect you now.”

Suga gulps, hard, and his fingers dig into Daichi’s flesh. _Daichi knows I’m beyond saving, that I’m walking on a tightrope. All I need is a little push to fall._  And anything could be that push. Any slight emotions could make him lose control, could make him give in into that nagging voice in the back of his head.

A first sob makes it way through his throat, and this time he doesn’t even try to stop it. Daichi breaks away, looking at him. Suga’s hands leave Daichi, and cover his face, sobbing in them. He feels Daichi embracing him, and Suga pushes his face in his chest, letting out his anguish, feeling guilty at his selfishness. Then he feels that his hair his going wet as well, and realizes that Daichi’s crying as well. 

“Daichi don’t.” he begs. From where he his, forehead pushed against Daichi’s heart, he feels Daichi’s breath catching, then his chest shakes. Suga clenches his fists, and look up at him, cradles his face in his hands, had wipes away the tears. “Don’t do this, all right. We are gonna be fine, I promise you.”

“If you mean you are leaving, I’m not letting you. It’s my fault you ended up a Maleficarum, so I’ll not let you bear it alone.” Daichi takes Suga’s face as well.

“I’m not a Maleficarum.” Suga’s voice has more bite in it than he intends it to have, but goes on. “Listen to me. I may have used blood magic, I may have a demon inside my head, but I’m not using any of this to hurt people. I’m not going to use blood magic in fights, I’m not even going to heal anybody anymore” at the mention of healing, Daichi’s body stiffens a moment, the memory of the last healing session still fresh in it “even if it means not using magic at all.”

Daichi’s eyes widen, and he’s about to say something, but Suga takes his head by its sides, pecking him on his lips, twice, to stop him from saying anything. “Listen to me” Suga continues, tugging Daichi a little toward himself. “I’ll learn to control it, if you don’t want me to leave. The moment I think it’s dangerous, though, it’s the moment I say my goodbyes.”

“Suga-”

Suga shuts him with another feathery kiss. “Listen to me.” He repeats, for the third time, making sure that Daichi _is_  listening. “If I become an abomination, it won’t be up to you to kill me. I’ll always carry with me a knife.”

“ _Suga!”_ Now it’s Daichi that tugs him, by his shoulders. “What in the Maker’s name are you saying?!” he shouts, expression as desperate as it can get. “You can’t mean- You don’t mean-”

Suga smooths down Daichi’s hair, trying to cover up is own fear. “If I can’t manage that, I’ll tell Asahi to do it. He can do it. He’s less of a coward than we like to give him credit for.” Suga adds with a half-felt smile. Asahi’d probably start crying the moment he mentioned that, but he will do it, for Suga. Well, maybe he’ll not have problems with killing Suga, a dark side of Suga -his own mind, not an external force- tells him, if Asahi’s reaction means what Suga fears it mean.

“Suga, dammit! Stop with this selfless crap.” Daichi grabs his hands, almost as if fearing that he’d leave right now. “Stop acting all great on me, I know you are scared.”

“Of course I am.” Suga says, smiling once again. He can’t help but smile at Daichi. “I feel like I’m doomed, but I have to deal with this.” Suga brings Daichi’s hands to his lips, brushing his knuckles. Even though it’s the first time they get this intimate, all the touches feel extremely natural, and Suga almost points it out, almost makes a casual comment on it. Something like this had to bring them together, and it feels as if life is mocking Suga even more.

Suga looks up at Daichi. 

“Listen to me, Daichi. We are going to be all right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> 1) :'D *dies a little on the inside*  
> 2) This is, like, the second kissing scene I wrote in my life, so it probably sucks :'D  
> 3) If you thought that Asahi had left Suga alone because he was being a butt about blood magic, shame on you  
> 4) I tried to get somewhat psychological with them all, hope I managed (could write an essay on what I think it's going on in their mind, but won't annoy you)  
> 5) Asahi and Nishinoya's relationship will probably be the cause of my death  
> 6) Thank goodness I have those saps of Daichi and Suga  
> 7) I was torn between naming this chapter either "All right" or "Listen", but I like myself one worded titles so *shrugs*  
> I think it should be all.  
> Thank you for reading, and for your support!   
> Love you all  
> Ziba


	11. Not a Chapter, a PSA

Hello Everybody!

You might have noticed that it's been a while since I updated this particular fic. The reason is, I'm not happy with it. Somewhere along the way, I started to see it as sloppy and half-assed, and the will to write died.

I apologize to whoever wished to read more and see how it ended, and to all those who wrote nice (and appreciated!) comments under this fic of mine. I love you people, and I'm sorry if in any way I let you down.

Does this mean I'm going to leave it unfinished? No! Actually, it's the other way around. I'm working on an alternative version of Maleficarum, one with an actual planned plot (as much as I can plan anything *headdesk*), with more POVs, more subplots, more ships, and hopefully an overall more interesting outlook! Some things may stay similar (since I want to get to pretty much the same point, the fall of the Karasuno Mercenary Company), but I'm gonna do so giving space to more characters (and hopefully making them suffer more).

And if this isn't enough to make you forgive me, I have some more one-shots that I'm working on, with some different ships and friendships, that I hope to release soon, as well as the third part of the installment around Karasuno, which will (finally!) introduce also the first years.

I hope I will manage to do all that I'm planning to do, especially considering that college awaits.

In the meantime, I want to thank you all for reading this little PSA, and to whoever will read Maleficarum 2.0 ^3^

Love you all, stay safe

Ziba

PS: whoever wants to scream with me about Haikyuu, Dragon Age or both (or just wants to scream at me) can find me on my [tumblr](http://zibasworld.tumblr.com/)!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Love you all  
> Ziba


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